TAMPA – Hillsborough County homeowners with toxic drywall imported from China could get a big break on their property taxes. But county government revenues will have to pay the price, up to $5 million by some estimates.

The Hillsborough County Property Appraiser’s Office is evaluating homes and offering a discount of up to 50 percent of the value, depending on the severity of the drywall problem. The value of the land would not be included in the deduction.
Read the rest of this entry »

NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- Builder KB Home (KBH) has identified about 140 homes, primarily in Florida, affected by Chinese drywall, executives said in an earnings conference call Friday.

The Los Angeles-based builder estimates a repair cost of about $10 million, and it took a $6 million charge in the third quarter to increase its warranty liability. Read the rest of this entry »

A Louisiana federal judge has declared Chinese company Taishan Gypsum Co. – one of the largest manufacturers of contaminated Chinese drywall imports – in default in a class action lawsuit.

U.S. District Court Judge Eldon Fallon’s order holds the company in default for failing to respond to the lawsuit.

The default ruling has the potential to heighten the international tension in the unfolding drywall case, said Miami attorney Ervin Gonzalez, of Colson Hicks Eidson. Read the rest of this entry »

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday ordered the parties in sweeping legal wrangling over Chinese-manufactured drywall linked to corrosion and possible health effects to stay on pace for a January trial by handing over the documents in a speedy fashion.

U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon said at a hearing that he wanted all the parties — plaintiffs lawyers, homebuilders, drywall distributors and contractors — to act swiftly in sharing information on finances, inspection reports, and other documentation in preparation for trial.
Read the rest of this entry »

(AP) — WASHINGTON – Under fire for the pace of her agency’s investigation, the top U.S. consumer safety official is promising to move swiftly to investigate a flood of complaints about suspect drywall imported from China.

Homeowners, mostly in the Southeast region, say the drywall is making them sick and corroding wiring throughout their homes. Lawmakers from Florida, Louisiana and elsewhere have pressed Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairman Inez Tenenbaum for answers about the safety of the drywall.
Read the rest of this entry »

NAPLES — Nine new lawsuits allege that a home-building company knowingly installed defective Chinese drywall that is leaching toxic gases into Collier County homes.

Karen Velasco, 33, and her husband, Lino Potes, 32, are among nine homeowners in the Bristol Pines neighborhood who turned to a lawyer after they felt their builder, Waterways Homes, wasn’t responding.

“It is frustrating,” Velasco said. “We are waiting for answers and no one is giving any.”
Read the rest of this entry »

Defective Chinese drywall won’t be recalled as other defective Chinese products have, Inez Tenenbaum, chairwoman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, said Monday.

Tenenbaum also said she is waiting for October test results from a multi-agency investigation so the commission can establish a uniform protocol to remediate the drywall, and push Congress for a funding source to help homeowners.
Read the rest of this entry »

MANATEE — A Chinese drywall manufacturer that didn’t respond to a class-action lawsuit has been found in default, an early legal victory for homeowners who blame the product for various health problems and property damage.

During a pre-trial hearing in New Orleans on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon issued a default judgment against Taishan Gypsum Co. Ltd., court records show. The company failed to respond to a lawsuit filed by an Alabama homebuilder despite being notified of it in late June, the judge said. Read the rest of this entry »