Chinese Drywall

Class action lawsuits filed around the country against Chinese drywall manufacturers will be consolidated and tried in New Orleans, The Times-Picayune reported Monday morning.

The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, which consolidates similar cases filed in different federal courts before a single judge, has assigned the case to U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon, the paper reported.

Attorneys in South Florida argued that Miami would be a better location, because a majority of Chinese drywall problems and lawsuits have occurred there. The problems first cropped up in southwest Florida’s Gulf Coast cities. The drywall was imported following hurricanes Katrina and Wilma in 2005, after the housing boom and rebuilding efforts created a material shortage among domestic suppliers.

http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2009/06/15/daily14.html