In the first lawsuit to go before a judge involving claims that defective Chinese drywall filled homes with sulfuric odors, corroded electrical equipment and caused other property damage, there was something missing: the defendant. Taishan Gypsum Co., the manufacturer of some of the Chinese drywall blamed for damages in thousands of homes across the country, has never answered the lawsuit against it and did not send legal representation to the trial last week before U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon in New Orleans.

Fallon is currently considering plaintiffs’ demands that a ruling be issued against Taishan that would allow them to go after any assets the company has on U.S. soil and, potentially, allow them to seize the company’s shipments as well. The case was brought by a group of Virginia homeowners, who are seeking $2.5 million in damages, and a ruling is expected in the near future. While any decision will be limited to this one group of plaintiffs, it could have an impact on hundreds of Chinese drywall lawsuits filed by other homeowners in various states.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), federal investigators have received nearly 3,000 complaints from across the United States from homeowners who say that toxic wallboard from China releases sulfuric odors, causes health problems, and corrodes wiring and appliances. Many of the problems with the Chinese drywall have been confirmed by laboratory testing.

Millions of sheets of toxic drywall were imported from China into the United States between 2004 and 2007, due to a domestic shortage caused by a housing boom and construction following a serious of hurricanes that struck the southeastern United States. The CPSC has confirmed more than 6 million sheets were imported into the country in 2006, and additional temporary support personnel are being brought in to verify more shipments.

A number of homeowners throughout the United States have filed contaminated Chinese drywall lawsuits against manufacturers and distributors. In June 2009, all of the federal drywall litigation was consolidated and centralized in an MDL, or Multidistrict Litigation. The cases were assigned to Judge Fallon, who has put the litigation on a “fast track.”

The new Chinese drywall identification guidance was released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on Thursday. It not only describes how to identify imported drywall problems, but it also describes what evidence is needed for the two agencies to determine that damage to the home was caused by the drywall.

The CPSC reported earlier this month that it has received about 2,702 reports of problems with Chinese drywall from 36 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Homeowners complain that the toxic wallboard releases sulfuric odors, causes health problems, and corrodes wiring and appliances. Many of the claims about the imported drywall have been confirmed by laboratory testing.

Home owners and inspectors must be able to see a blackening of copper electrical wiring or air conditioning evaporator coils, and must have had new drywall installed between 2001 and 2008, according to the guidance. There are also a number of criteria homes must meet to ascertain that the problems are caused by the drywall and not the result of some other problem. The criteria are different based on the age of the home.

The guidance and update on the number of complaints comes as a coalition of homeowners has filed a lawsuit seeking to force 14 different insurance companies to cover Chinese drywall damage to their homes. The lawsuit was filed in late November, but announced this month by the WCI Chinese Drywall Trust in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

The trust was formed when WCI Communities, Inc, a Florida-based home builder, went bankrupt under a deluge of Chinese drywall complaints from more than 700 owners of the homes it built between September 2006 and 2008. The lawsuit alleges that a number of  insurance companies have wrongly denied coverage or ignored claims of Chinese drywall property and health damages.

Millions of sheets of toxic drywall were imported from China into the United States between 2004 and 2007, due to a domestic shortage caused by a housing boom and construction following a serious of hurricanes that struck the southeastern United States. The CPSC has confirmed more than 6 million sheets were imported into the country in 2006, and additional temporary support personnel are being brought in to verify more shipments.

Efforts to remove the material have been spotty and expensive. In some cases, contractors have had to strip homes down to the studs, with no guarantee that they have rid the structure of the corrosive gases. There have also been many cases where it was unclear whether problems were the result of Chinese drywall, and in some cases, houses thought to have problems did not have Chinese drywall at all.

A number of homeowners throughout the United States have filed contaminated Chinese drywall lawsuits against manufacturers and distributors. In June, all of the federal drywall litigation was consolidated and centralized in an MDL, or Multidistrict Litigation. The cases were assigned to U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon in New Orleans, who has put the cases on a “fast track,” with trials involving property damage claims set to begin in early 2010.

Proceedings on the first lawsuit are scheduled to begin today in a lawsuit against Taishan Gypsum, a Chinese drywall manufacturer. Representatives of the company have failed to appear for proceedings, and Judge Fallon has found the company in default.

If the lawsuit against the company is successful, it will effectively end their ability to import to the U.S. until they have paid the judgment against them. Their ships and cargo will be seized and sold until they pay, or until the value of the judgment has been reached.

The drywall lawsuit was filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in New Orleans. The complaint was filed as part of an agreement where the Chinese company agreed to temporarily waive its rights to have lawsuits served through the Hague Convention for plaintiffs who joined the omnibus class action suit against the company by December 9.

Foreign companies have the right to be served legal services through the Hague Conventions, which includes translation into the company’s native language and serving papers to the company in its home country. The process is slow and expensive, costing about $15,000, and has hindered many plaintiffs from listing Knauf Plasterboard as a defendant in Chinese drywall litigation.

Knauf Plasterboard is a Chinese subsidiary of a German company that allegedly imported much of the contaminated drywall into the United States between 2004 and 2006. The drywall was imported during a domestic shortage caused by a housing boom and construction following a series of hurricanes in the United States. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has received complaints about problems with Chinese drywall from homeowners in at least 30 states.

Knauf Plasterboard only waived its right to effectuate service through the Hague Convention for participants in the omnibus class action lawsuit, which they indicate will not be amended to add other litigants in the future. In November, the December deadline was set for plaintiffs who provided proof that their homes contain Knauf drywall. Proof of the defective drywall was established through use of photographs, samples, visual inspections or reports identifying Knauf markings on drywall.

Many of the participants in the class action lawsuit were New Orleans residents who rebuilt their homes after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city, only to discover that the drywall they used was corrosive and gave off a sulfurous smell. The lead plaintiff in the Chinese drywall class action suit is Sean Payton, the headcoach of the New Orleans Saints football team.

The class action complaint is just one of a number of lawsuits over Chinese drywall filed against manufacturers, importers and builders who used the materials. All of the Chinese drywall lawsuits filed in federal courts have been consolidated in the U.S. District Court in New Orleans under Judge Eldon Fallon as part of a multidistrict litigation (MDL).

Proceedings on the first lawsuit are scheduled to begin in January in a lawsuit against Taishan Gypsum, a Chinese drywall manufacturer. Representatives of the company have failed to appear for proceedings, and Judge Fallon has found the company in default.

If the lawsuit against the company is successful, it will effectively end their ability to import to the U.S. until they have paid the judgment against them. Their ships and cargo will be seized and sold until they pay, or until the value of the judgment has been reached.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced on Monday that results from a major indoor air study and two corrosion studies have found a “strong association” between Chinese drywall and corrosive effects that may destroy wiring and damage appliances throughout the home. Investigators found that corrosion from Chinese drywall is likely caused by high levels of hydrogen sulfide gas emitted by the defective drywall.

About 1,900 homeowners in 30 states have made reports to the CPSC about Chinese drywall problems, including reports of foul sulfuric odors, corroded wiring and electrical appliances, and complaints of various health issues, such as headaches, nose bleeds and respiratory problems.

The CPSC, along with several other federal agencies have formed an Interagency Drywall Task Force to address the problem, which could affect many thousands more homes across the country.

The three studies, including air sampling done at 51 homes affected by Chinese drywall, found that homes with Chinese wallboard had higher levels of hydrogen sulfide gas than those with domestic drywall. They believe this gas is the main cause of Chinese drywall corrosion. In addition, researchers found that other air contaminants, including formaldehyde, also contributed to the corrosion.

“We now have the science that enables the Task Force to move ahead to the next phase – to develop both a screening process and effective remediation methods,” said U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. “Ongoing studies will examine health and safety effects, but we are now ready to get to work fixing this problem.”

Scientists from Environmental Health & Engineering (EH&E) also created a sheet-by-sheet method of being able to determine which pieces of drywall were made in China. They found that by using X-ray fluorescence and infrared instruments, markers could be detected that are unique to Chinese drywall.

Millions of sheets of defective drywall were imported from China into the United States between 2004 and 2007, due to a domestic shortage caused by a housing boom and construction following a series of hurricanes that struck the southeastern United States. The CPSC has confirmed more than 6 million sheets were imported into the country in 2006.

Chinese drywall lawsuits have been filed by homeowners throughout the United States against drywall manufacturers and distributers. In June, all of the federal drywall litigation was consolidated and centralized in an MDL, or Multidistrict Litigation. The cases were assigned to U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon, who has put the cases on a “fast track,” with trials involving property damage claims set to begin in early 2010.

The first trials will be property damage-only claims, for cases involving Chinese drywall problems like corroding electrical equipment, and homeowners had to have their houses gutted and partially rebuilt in order to get rid of the sulfuric gases.

Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin (KPT), is a Chinese subsidiary of a German company which allegedly imported much of the contaminated drywall into the United States between 2004 and 2006. The company has agreed to temporarily waive its rights to have lawsuits served through the Hague Convention, giving plaintiffs a one-month window to join an omnibus class action lawsuit against the company.

Defective Chinese drywall has been blamed for causing foul odors, corrosion of electrical equipment and a host of health problems. The drywall was imported into the United States earlier this decade due to a domestic shortage caused by a housing boom and construction following a series of hurricanes that struck the southeastern United States. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has received at least 1,900 complaints about problems with Chinese drywall from homeowners in 30 states.

In a court order issued on Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Eldon E. Fallon set a deadline of December 9, 2009 for the filing of an Omnibus Chinese Drywall Class Action Complaint. To be eligible for inclusion in the complaint, plaintiffs must provide proof that their homes contain Knauf drywall by December 2. Proof of the defective drywall can be established through use of photographs, samples, visual inspections or reports identifying Knauf markings on drywall in their home.

Knauf Plasterboard (Tianjin), a subsidiary of the Knauf Group, is only waiving its right to effectuate service through the Hague Convention for participants in the omnibus class action lawsuit, which they indicate will not be amended to add other litigants in the future.

Foreign companies have the right to be served legal services through the Hague Conventions, which includes translation into the company’s native language and serving papers to the company in its home country. The process is slow and expensive, costing about $15,000, and has hindered many plaintiffs from listing KPT as a defendant in Chinese drywall lawsuits.

Last week, CPSC investigators released preliminary testing results on Chinese drywall, finding that it released high amounts of sulfur gases and strontium, a highly chemically reactive element used in fireworks and often found in nuclear fallout.

Chinese drywall litigation has already been filed by a number of homeowners throughout the United States against drywall manufacturers and distributers. In June, all of the federal drywall litigation was consolidated and centralized in an MDL, or Multidistrict Litigation. The cases were assigned to Judge Fallon, who has put the cases on a “fast track,” with trials involving property damage claims set to begin in early 2010.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) released the findings of its preliminary investigation into imported Chinese drywall on Thursday. About 1,900 homeowners in 30 states have made reports to the CPSC about problems with Chinese drywall in their homes. The defective wallboard has been blamed for causing foul sulfuric odors, corroding wiring and electrical appliances, and has been associated with various health complaints, such as headaches, nose bleeds and respiratory problems.

In July, the CPSC reported that it was conducting testing at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to isolate specific emissions, and began air sampling in 50 homes. The results released this week came from the laboratory test and 10 of the 50 homes sampled. A more comprehensive study is scheduled to be released next month.

CPSC researchers found that Chinese drywall emits a higher rate of total volatile sulfur gases than drywall made in the U.S. They also found that Chinese drywall also contains strontium in higher amounts than drywall made domestically.

Strontium is an alkaline metal that is very chemically reactive to oxygen and water. It oxidizes quickly, can ignite at room temperature, and is often used in the construction of fireworks and flares. Strontium isotopes are often found in nuclear fallout, but CPSC scientists said that the amounts of strontium found in Chinese drywall carries no radiological threat.

Contrary to claims of many people who have lived in homes with the contaminated drywall, the scientists were unable to find anything that accounts for Chinese drywall injury cases. However, the report noted that investigations into the drywall are not complete, and researchers are continuing to look for a possible source of the problems.

“We understand that this problem has, literally, driven people from their homes,” said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum in a press release issued with the report. “To those families we would like to say that we are driving as hard as we can to find out what is causing these health symptoms and corrosion problems.”

Millions of sheets of defective drywall were imported from China into the United States between 2004 and 2007, due to a domestic shortage caused by a housing boom and construction following a serious of hurricanes that struck the southeastern United States. The CPSC has confirmed more 6 million sheets were imported into the country in 2006.

Chinese drywall lawsuits have been filed by homeowners throughout the United States against drywall manufacturers and distributers. In June, all of the federal drywall litigation was consolidated and centralized in an MDL, or Multidistrict Litigation. The cases were assigned to U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon, who has put the cases on a “fast track,” with trials involving property damage claims set to begin in early 2010.

The first trials will be property damage-only claims, for cases involving Chinese drywall problems like corroding electrical equipment, and homeowners had to have their houses gutted and partially rebuilt in order to get rid of the sulfuric gases.

The tests were conducted by the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), which has been working with the Chinese government in their ongoing investigation.

Millions of sheets of toxic drywall were imported from China into the United States between 2004 and 2007, due to a domestic shortage caused by a housing boom and construction following a serious of hurricanes that struck the southeastern United States. The CPSC has confirmed more than 6 million sheets were imported into the country in 2006, and additional temporary support personnel are being brought in to verify more shipments.

While there have been reports of issues with the drywall from 24 different states, most of the drywall complaints have come from Florida, Louisiana and Virginia.

Homeowners and lawmakers have been awaiting results from CPSC laboratory testing, in hopes that it will reveal the cause of the problems, and hopefully provide information on how to safely and effectively remove Chinese drywall from affected homes. In September, Florida Senator Bill Nelson said he would like a Chinese drywall recall, and indicated that he was frustrated by the slow pace of the investigation.

Efforts to remove the material have been spotty and expensive. In some cases, contractors have had to strip homes down to the studs, with no guarantee that they have rid the structure of the corrosive gases. Several companies indicate that they have found potential fixes involving chemical processes, but experts say that until the source of the sulfurous emissions can be accurately determined, such remedies cannot guarantee success.

CPSC investigators have taken samples of the drywall, visited affected homes, and inspected manufacturing plants in China looking for answers. Last week, CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum visited Beijing and issued a joint statement with the Wei Chuanzhong, vice minister of China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, pledging that the two countries would work together in investigating the drywall issue.

A number of homeowners throughout the United States have filed contaminated Chinese drywall lawsuits against manufacturers and distributers. In June, all of the federal drywall litigation was consolidated and centralized in an MDL, or Multidistrict Litigation. The cases were assigned to U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon in New Orleans, who has put the cases on a “fast track,” with trials involving property damage claims set to begin in early 2010.

All federal lawsuits over Chinese drywall, which caused problems for hundreds of homeowners throughout the United States, are consolidated and centralized before U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon in Louisiana.

At a status hearing this month, Judge Fallon called on attorneys for plaintiffs and defendants to hand over documents as quickly as possible to stay on course for the first trials to begin in January for claims involving property damage.

Defective Chinese drywall has been blamed for causing foul odors, corrosion of electrical equipment and a host of health problems. At least 1,192 incident reports of the drywall problems have been received by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) from 24 states, with the majority of reports coming from Florida, Louisiana and Virginia.

The drywall was imported into the United States from China earlier this decade due to a domestic shortage caused by a housing boom and construction following a series of hurricanes that struck the southeastern United States.

The plaintiffs involved in the Chinese drywall litigation have faced difficulty, since several of the defendants are foreign corporations in China. This week, Judge Fallon declared Taishan Gypsum Co. to be in default in a Chinese drywall class action lawsuit for failing to respond to the claim in the U.S. Court.

Taishan Gypsum is a Chinese company that supplied much of the tainted drywall to the U.S. Some experts say the court will have to seize some or all of the U.S. assets the company might have if it does not respond to the judgment.

Bipartisan legislation was introduced on August 7 in the U.S. Senate that would require foreign manufacturers to consent to state and federal jurisdiction if they are taken to court, and would also require them to have a representative in the country that could be served a lawsuit or regulatory claim on behalf of the company.

The legislation arose as a result of hearings on defective Chinese drywall that highlighted the problems homeowners and U.S. distributers were having holding foreign manufacturers legally responsible for their products.

The new legislation, the Foreign Manufacturers Legal Accountability Act of 2009, was introduced by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island, and co-sponsored by Senators Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and Richard Durbin (D-IL). It has received support from the Consumers Union and the Consumer Federation of America.

Chairman Inez Tenenbaum promised a House of Representatives subcommittee on Thursday that the commission would “vigorously pursue its investigation” of the issues with defective drywall imported from China, which have resulted in at least 1,192 complaints from homeowners as of September 4.

The defective Chinese drywall has been blamed for causing foul sulfuric odors, corroding wiring and electrical appliances, and various health complaints from residents living in houses built with the product.

In testimony before the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, Tenenbaum laid out a number of goals for the new CPSC commissioner, and took time to specifically address the Chinese drywall problem. Tenenbaum said the commission was “fully committed to finding answers and solutions for all the homeowners who are impacted by this serious situation – and the agency is pouring a record amount of money and manpower toward the goal of helping affected families.”

Millions of sheets of toxic drywall were imported from China into the United States between 2004 and 2007, due to a domestic shortage caused by a housing boom and construction following a serious of hurricanes that struck the southeastern United States. The CPSC has confirmed more than 6 million sheets were imported into the country in 2006, and additional temporary support personnel are being brought in to verify more shipments.

While there have been reports of issues with the drywall from 24 different states, most of the drywall complaints have come from Florida, Louisiana and Virginia.

On the same day as the House hearing, Senator Bill Nelson of Florida, one of the most outspoken lawmakers on the Chinese drywall issue was briefed by officials from CPSC, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with an update on the problem. Sen. Nelson said he would like a Chinese drywall recall, and is frustrated by the slow pace of the investigations by federal agencies.

Chinese drywall lawsuits have been filed by home owners throughout the United States against drywall manufacturers and distributers. In June, all of the federal drywall litigation was consolidated and centralized in an MDL, or Multidistrict Litigation. The cases were assigned to U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon, who has put the cases on a “fast track,” with trials involving property damage claims set to begin in early 2010.

Last week, Fallon asked lawyers to identify six cases that could be ready for trial in January 2010.

The lawsuit was filed last week on behalf of homeowners in two Las Vegas neighborhoods, which could potentially cover between 3,000 and 5,000 homeowners. Companies including US Home Corp., Greystone Nevada LLC, Lennar Nevada, Georgia-Pacific Gypsum LLC and Georgia-Pacific LLC have been named as defendants in the lawsuit that seeks class action status.

Defective Chinese drywall imported into the country between 2004 and 2007 during a domestic shortage has resulted in complaints from hundreds of homeowners throughout the United States, involving claims that the drywall emits sulfuric vapors that cause homes to fill with “rotten egg” smells, corrode wiring and electrical appliances, and has been blamed for a variety of health effects, including respiratory problems.

The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has received complaints from homeowners in 24 states and the District of Columbia. However, as of its last update on the Chinese drywall problem earlier this month, the CPSC has not disclosed any reports of Chinese drywall problems in Nevada.

It has been estimated that as many as 100,000 homes in the United States were constructed with the drywall from China and the CPSC has confirmed that more than 6 million sheets of Chinese drywall were shipped into the country for use during 2006.

According to the Las Vegas Sun, builders in the Las Vegas area doubt that the homes included in the lawsuit were built with Chinese drywall, as the area is a hub of drywall manufacturing.

Lennar has denied any Chinese drywall was used in homes it built in the area, and released letters from suppliers supporting its statements. Lennar has admitted to using Chinese drywall in homes built in Florida, and the company has sued suppliers and foreign manufacturers for selling them the defective material.

Georgia-Pacific officials have also said that their company did not import any Chinese drywall.

A large and growing number of Chinese drywall lawsuits have been filed across the country against home builders, drywall manufacturers and suppliers across the country. Lennar says that it has been named as a defendant in at least 41 state lawsuits in Florida and two federal class action lawsuits, not including the newest filing.

All federal cases filed throughout the country involving issues with Chinese drywall have been consolidated and centralized into an MDL, or Multidistrict Litigation. The cases have been transferred to Judge Fallon for coordinated pretrial litigation and discovery, and Judge Fallon has indicated that he intends to fast track the litigation, with the first Chinese drywall trials potentially beginning within six months.