On July 31, 2009, Wolfe Law Group’s Scott Wolfe and Doug Reiser will co-present at Half Moon Seminar’s Chinese Drywall Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.   The program is titled “Chinese Drywall Problems and Litigation.“  Attorneys, contractors, engineers and architects can all obtain CLE credit for attending the program [register here].

Wolfe & Reiser will co-present during the program’s middle segment, “Exploring the Current Status of Chinese Drywall Claims and Litigation.”

Be sure to attend the program on July 31st in New Orleans.   To get ready, or in case you can’t make it, below is the slide presentation we’ll use during the presentation.

Wolfe Law Group’s own Scott Wolfe, Jr. provides the leading quote in a recent article from HousingZone.com:   Homeowners Increasing Suing Local Builders.   Scott gave this quote to the publication:

The best and quickest way to get the drywall out is to go after the builder, who ultimately has to live up to his warranty.   If the consumer tinkers with class-action lawsuits that can drag out for months, their warranties start to expire, and their chances of getting something from the builder are slimmer.

If we’ve said it once on this blog, we’ve said it a thousand times (here, here, here, here and here).

While class action suits have their purpose, it presents real challenges to homeowners who are interested in getting the Chinese Drywall out of their property.

The class action suits have their warts, and homeowners may find a better remedy by filing a direct action against their builders, suppliers and insurers.

With every day that passes, however, deadlines are drawing closer.    The one year deadline for insurance claims and torts.  The 3-4 year deadline with claims in redhibition.   And the 1, 2 or 5 year deadlines associated with construction warranty claims.

The worst news about the deadlines being that many, if not most of the statutory periods begin when the drywall was delivered or installed…and not when the homeowner learned of the problem.

All was quiet with regard to individual lawsuits against builders and suppliers, but recent news reports indicate that the remedy is gaining some steam.

The article from HousingZone.com is not alone.  The Times Picayune recently reported that homeowners are more frequently suing builders, and Baton Rouge’s Advocate had the same analysis.

Could an avalanche of Homeowner v. Builder suits be on the horizon?

If you’re interested in learning more about bringing a suit against your builder, or your construction company is interested in bringing suit its suppliers and insurers, contact Wolfe Law Group today.

Chinese Drywall was the subject of conversation last week on the Legal Talk Network’s Lawyer2Laywer podcast.   The podcast, hosted by J. Craig Williams discussed “both sides of Chinese drywall litigation, the effects of Chinese drywall, the mounting lawsuits and what the future holds for the affected residents.”

Our own Scott Wolfe Jr. took part in the program, along with John Mullen, Sr. from the firm Nelson, Levine de Luca & Horst.

You can listen to the Podcast at the Laywer2Lawyer website here.  Or, download the MP3.

Or, listen to it by clicking on the below this link:

Chinese Drywall Litigation on Lawyer2Lawyer

This Wednesday, Scott Wolfe will join the Legal Talk Network to discuss the effects of Chinese Drywall and the status of Chinese Drywall litigation.

The Chinese Drywall episode is on the network’s Lawyer2Lawyer program, hosted by Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams.

Episodes are published as “podcasts” and can be played at the Legal Talk Network website, or you can download the podcast through iTunes.

The website describes the upcoming podcast as follows:

Chinese drywall, which has been used to rebuild New Orleans’ homes damaged in Hurricane Katrina, is allegedly damaging residents’ property as well as their health. Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams will take a look at the effects of Chinese drywall, the mounting lawsuits and what the future holds for the affected residents. Guest(s): Attorney Scott Wolfe, Jr. & TBA

Read more here.

On the Chinese Drywall Blog, we’ve frequently  forecasted that homeowners will begin bringing suit directly against their builders for Chinese Drywall recovery.

This morning, the New Orleans Times Picayune reported that this is beginning to happen.

The article, titled Homeowners saddled with tainted Chinese Drywall are increasingly suing local builders for damages, suggests that “Louisiana home builders have increasingly become targets of litigation.”   And the article profiles a Covington, Louisiana homeowner, Eric Carter, who sued his homebuilder Sunrise Homes.

Over the next few days here on the Chinese Drywall Blog, we will specifically analyze builder liability for Chinese Drywall claims, reviewing the relevant aspects of the New Home Warranty Act and other general builder warranties.

Remember also that Wolfe Law Group’s Scott Wolfe and Doug Reiser will be presenting at a Chinese Drywall seminar in New Orleans, LA on July 31, 2009.  The seminar is for attorneys, builders, engineers, homeowners and anyone else affected or interested in the crisis.   Read more about the seminar, and how to attend, here.

In the meantime, here are a few posts from our blog reviewing builders’ exposure to imported drywall claims, and explaining the differences between class action litigation and ordinary litigation:

• Builders Starting To Tango with Chinese Drywall Claims
• Builders World Apart on Chinese Drywall
• 3 Reasons Why Class Actions are Bad for Homeowners
• Are Builders Getting a Free Pass on Chinese Drywall Claims?  Should They?

A seminar on the Chinese Drywall crisis will be held in New Orleans, Louisiana, this July 31, 2009.   The seminar is being billed as “a practical, one-day seminar for attorneys, engineers, architects and contractors,” and will examine a host of topics related to Chinese Drywall claims including:

• The damages and health effects caused by defective drywall;
• The status of Chinese Drywall lawsuits in Louisiana and elsewhere;
• Option of pursuing damages through a class or individual action;
• Proposed Legislative solutions;
• Exploration of liability among manufacturers, builders, suppliers, and others.

Wolfe Law Group’s Scott Wolfe and Douglas Reiser are co-presenting at the seminar’s second segment on the matter of “Exploring the Current Status of Chinese Drywall Claims and Litigation.”

Scott Wolfe is sticking around to the seminar’s third segment where he will co-present with the Berniard Law Firm’s Jeffrey Berniard on the matter of “Exploring Potential Liability for Damages Caused by Chinese Drywall Problems.”

Learning credits are available for participating professionals, including 5.0 approved CLE hours for attorneys in the states of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas.

More information can be found at the Half Moon Seminars website promoting the seminar here or by downloading the brochure here.

Wolfe Law Group’s Scott Wolfe just published a Legal Guide on the lawyer rating web-service, Avvo.com, titled “What To Do If You Supplied or Installed Chinese Drywall?”

The Legal Guide goes on to answer that precise question, offering builders, suppliers and other construction participants with helpful tips on how to proceed if they are wrapped up in an imported drywall claim.

The Legal Guide’s summary states as follows:

Enough Chinese Drywall was imported into the United States to build 60,000 average-sized homes. Many now fear the drywall was contaminated, and to blame for the rapid corrosion of building elements and health concerns. What to do if your company supplied or installed Chinese Drywall? Read on.

And here are the tips (stripped of commentary):

• Determine Whether Your Company Supplied or Installed Chinese Drywall;
• Mitigate Your Damages
• Get Prepared
• Get Counsel and Consider Legal Options

Read the full legal guide on Avvo.com here.

New Orleans’ Fox 8 has been reporting on the Chinese Drywall crisis as it’s appearing in Louisiana.   They recently turned the tables on the story, asking not about problems faced by homeowners, but those problems faced by builders, contractors, suppliers and other participants in the construction industry.

This has been a focus of Wolfe Law Group, who recently launched a practice group to advise and represent contractors and suppliers with regard to the Chinese Drywall crisis.   Fox’s Nancy Parker interviewed Scott Wolfe, Jr., partner at Wolfe Law Group, with respect to how contractors and suppliers are affected by the Chinese Drywall problem.

The story itself is here.  Here is a video from the newscast: