Effect of drywall ruling unclear

A federal judge's ruling Tuesday in favor of a Louisiana family with tainted drywall imported from China leaves Bay area families wondering what the case will mean for them.

U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon awarded more than $164,000 to the family and said the home must be gutted. All drywall, electrical wiring, plumbing and appliances must be removed and replaced. The drywall manufacturer, Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin Co., must pay for it all.

Roy Glaum, a Sun City Center resident and founder of the advocacy organization Chinese Drywall Coordinating Group, said he's happy for the family but wonders whether they will get the money.

"The key here is whether the company will actually pay," Glaum said.

The ruling comes after Fallon's decision last month to award $2.6 million to seven Virginia families. That decision was the first of its kind for a batch of federal lawsuits over drywall-tainted homes.

The main difference between that case and the one involving the Louisiana family is that the Chinese company that manufactured the drywall in the Virginia homes didn't participate in the trial. Knauf is based in Germany but made the drywall in China. It hired an attorney and said it would work with families with the bad drywall.

That's reassuring to Glaum, but he worries that Knauf won't be able to take care of all the affected families.

The health effects of the drywall, imported mostly from China, is still being investigated. Homeowners contend the drywall emits sulfuric gases that corrode air-conditioner coils, appliances and electrical wiring.

Some homeowners complain of nosebleeds, respiratory problems, dry eyes and headaches. Many have fled their homes, fearing for their health.

The U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission said this month the only way to get rid of bad drywall is to gut the home down to the studs and rebuild.

Some experts have estimated that as many as 100,000 homes nationwide have the drywall, although the federal government has said that estimate likely is inflated. In Hillsborough County, nearly 400 homeowners have complained to the local property appraiser's office.

In the Louisiana case, the family was seeking more than $200,000 to fix a home, but plaintiffs' attorney Steve Herman said they were still pleased.

"I think Judge Fallon's ruling is a very good indication that people who have Chinese drywall will receive the remediation they're entitled to," Herman said.

Knauf had argued that the family's home can be repaired for less than $59,000. Knauf attorney Don Hayden said the company may appeal the ruling because the scientific evidence showed a home with the material could be repaired at a more reasonable cost than what was awarded.

In Glaum's case, he said, the Sun City Center residents are waiting for Fallon to hear their case. Their builder, WCI Communities, filed for bankruptcy, and a trust is suing the builder's insurance companies on behalf of the homeowners.

The homeowners have been dealing with what Glaum called a nightmare for more than a year and half.

"You would really think that in this day and age, the federal government would do more for American citizens who are getting it stuck to them by a foreign country," Glaum said. "This gas may not be enough to kill you, but it's definitely enough to make you sick."