Five homeowners in the Hampton Roads area filed a lawsuit last month seeking damages in excess of $5 million against a local developer, a distributor, and a Chinese manufacturer of drywall. The plaintiffs allege that the companies were negligent for selling the drywall and for not warning homeowners and customers that it is defective. People in several states have complained that the Chinese-made drywall emits corrosive gas that damages household electrical systems and causes serious respiratory illness.
The drywall in question, 100,000 sheets in all, was imported in 2006 by Venture Supply LLC, the Norfolk-based company who is the distributor named as defendant in the suit. These 100,000 sheets of drywall were enough to build over 300 homes, and have been linked to developments in Norfolk, VA Beach, Chesapeake, and Northeastern North Carolina.
Other defendants in the suit include Shandong Taihe Dong-xin Co. Ltd, a Chinese company that has been connected to defective drywall found in homes in Florida, as well as The Porter-Blaine Corporation, a contractor affiliated with Venture Supply and Harbor Walk Development LLC. Harbor Walk Development is the company responsible for building the 240-unit Harbor Walk condominium complex in Norfolk in 2006.
Two residents of Harbor Walk are plaintiffs in the suit. Fifty-nine year-old Michelle Germano, a nurse who works from home, stated that she began to smell sulfur throughout her home not long after purchasing it in June 2006.
This lawsuit is the third filed in Hampton Roads that is connected with Chinese-made drywall. A couple in Virginia Beach filed a suit against their builder, The Futura Group LLC, seeking damages of $600,000 caused by the Chinese drywall. Additionally, an insurance company filed a dispute in Norfolk federal court against The Dragas Cos., based in VA Beach, over claims related to Chinese drywall. Dragas said it is inspecting homes suspected of containing the imported drywall, and that it would pay to fix homes found to have Chinese drywall.
I’ve seen many cases like this during my time as a personal injury attorney. They always remind me of how important it is for consumers to do their part to protect themselves. If you’re planning to buy a house, you should always have it inspected by a licensed home inspector. If you have any doubts about the quality of materials used in your home’s construction, don’t be shy: ask your contractor what materials he uses, and where they’re from. Your home should be equipped with smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and you should make sure they work properly on a regular basis. If you ever smell sulfur or other toxic fumes, call the authorities immediately.
About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper,Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm is based in Virginia (VA), near the NE North Carolina (NC) border and handles car, truck, railroad, and medical negligence cases and more. Our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY. CA
Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
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