Editor’s Note: Portions of this article originally appeared on ENR.com.
The warning shot came in a federal court in Louisiana, and it may signal the beginning of the end of one of the more costly aspects of the homebuilding boom of 2004-2007. Federal Judge Eldon Fallon in New Orleans ordered Taishan Gypsum Co. Ltd. to pay seven Virginia families a total of $2.6 million to remediate defective Chinese-made drywall in their homes. The case is the first of several class-action lawsuits filed against manufacturers of material that has proven to be a veritable nightmare—and source of odors—for thousands of homeowners.