Lowe's Settles Defective Drywall Class Action Suit

By Tanya Roth, Esq. on August 11, 2010 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

One more agreement has been reached in the myriad of cases surrounding defective drywall. As has been covered in many previous posts on FindLaw's Common Law, and Injured blogs, homeowners in many states, but especially in the southeast, have been complaining of problems they say are caused by the imported drywall their homes were built with.

Suits by homeowners in Virginia, Florida and Louisiana have all addressed the issues of corroded metal, loss in home value and even health problems all linked to the drywall. Now, major home improvement chain Lowe's has agreed to a settlement in a drywall action.

Under the settlement, Lowe's has agreed to give out $6.5 million in gift cards and pay up to $2.2 million in attorney fees to resolve the class-action lawsuit regarding the defective drywall, reports the Wall Street Journal. Plaintiffs claim similar difficulties with the drywall they purchased from Lowe's as has been cited in other cases, namely a sulfurous odor and the tarnishing of metal in the home. Under the settlement, the company admits to no wrongdoing.

According to the Journal, while other drywall cases are focused on the building material imported from China, the country of origin for the drywall that was the subject of this settlement was not made clear. In an email statement, the company said, "Lowe's has been assured by vendors who provided stock drywall for sales in our stores that drywall they provided was not imported from China. But the settlement includes claims of all types of allegedly defective drywall people claim to have purchased from Lowe's."

If you purchased drywall from any store in the Lowe's chain before July 27, you may be eligible to be included in the proposed settlement class. The claims process is scheduled to begin in about a month.

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