Judge considers Chinese drywall case

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A federal judge on Monday began considering how a Louisiana home tainted by sulfur-emitting Chinese drywall should be fixed, with plaintiffs calling for a complete overhaul of a home and a Chinese wallboard company arguing that removing the drywall and making selective repairs would suffice.

U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon is hearing the first significant court battle over the damage caused by defective Chinese-made drywall imported en masse during the housing boom and after devastating hurricanes in 2005.

The drywall has been linked to corrosion in homes and possibly health effects.

About 3,000 homeowners, most of them in Florida, Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana, have reported problems with the Chinese-made product.

Earlier this month, Virginia officials created a task force to develop the commonwealth's strategy for dealing with drywall from China,

State Secretary of Commerce and Trade Jim Cheng will chair the task force. Cheng decided to form the group after a visit to Newport News, where dozens of homes have been identified as containing the Chinese drywall. Cheng says the panel will form a plan for responding to any action taken by the federal government on the drywall problem.