The Consumer Products Safety Committee has reported that it has received approval from the Chinese for a visit to China in connection with the drywall issues, and that CPSC staff is working with the Chinese government to arrange an investigative visit beginning later this month. The CPSC has asked to visit several sites of interest in its investigation of issues related to the tainted drywall, which we have posted about before.
The CPSC reports that it has now received a total of 810 reports related to the allegedly defective drywall, including complaints from two additional states, Pennsylvania and South Carolina. That means the Commission has received reports from homeowners in 23 states and the District of Columbia. The majority of the reports continue to be from Florida, Louisiana, and Virginia. About 6.2 million sheets of Chinese drywall were imported into the U.S. during 2006.
As part of its investigation, the Commission notes the:
• Start of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory chamber testing of various drywall samples to isolate specific emissions.
• Start of a 50 home indoor air sampling program.
• Site visit to a synthetic drywall manufacturing facility.
• Completion of testing for radioactive phosphogypsum contamination in drywall, in coordination with the Florida Department of Health and the EPA National Air and Radiation Environmental Laboratory.
The EPA is conducting elemental analyses of 15 drywall samples, with a tentative date for completing its analyses of drywall samples by late August. The CPSC’s engineering staff has visited seven homes in Florida, Louisiana and Virginia to gather samples of electrical, plumbing and safety systems. CPSC also has hosted a call among attorneys general of impacted States to coordinate and exchange information about State-level efforts.
Lawsuits filed over the drywall issues allege that excessive sulfur levels in the Chinese-made products are causing health effects and problems with air conditioning systems, appliances, internal wiring and other electrical systems. In June, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated the lawsuits in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. More than 90 suits were on the docket as part of the MDL as of last week. Plaintiffs have asked the court to certify the matter as a class action. In re: Chinese-Manufactured Drywall Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2047.
The monthly status conference in the MDL was held last week before Judge Fallon. At the conference, the court considered issues raised by Liaison Counsel, including pre-trial orders, property inspections, Plaintiff and Defendant profile forms, an evidence preservation order, state court settings, state/federal coordination, discovery issues, Freedom of Information Act/ public records requests, trial settings in federal court, tolling agreement/suspension of prescription, plaintiffs’ request for a class action, insurance issues, service of pleadings electronically, and the master complaint. A full report can be found here.
[Remember you can add this blog to your feeds by clicking on the button on the left side, or subscribe by typing your email address into the blank space on the left margin.]