The federal government no longer considers the presence of strontium to be a reliable indicator of corrosive Chinese drywall. According to the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), a high level of elemental sulfur appears to be a better indication that the defective wallboard is in a home.

The CPSC just recently revised its guidelines for identifying homes with defective Chinese drywall. The agency said the Federal Interagency Task Force that has been investigating the matter no longer believes strontium has a causative role in the problems associated with Chinese drywall, so it has been removed from the identification guidelines. More CPSC Updates Defective Chinese Drywall ID Guidelines

A settlement could be near for those thousands of homeowners embroiled in defective Chinese drywall lawsuits, said NewsPress.com. Federal Judge Eldon Fallon scheduled the mediation—which will include some key plaintiffs and defendants—for tomorrow, NewsPress.com added.

Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin Co. Ltd. (KPT), one of the defective drywall manufacturers and some homebuilders, suppliers, and insurers are also expected to be present, said NewsPress.com. Names of other involved parties are not expected to be released. More Is Chinese Drywall Settlement Coming?

More consumer advocates are speaking out against a proposed settlement in a Chinese drywall class action lawsuit involving Lowe’s stores. Under the proposed settlement, claimants would receive gift cards in amounts ranging from $50 to $2,000. Those who can prove they’ve suffered more than $2,000 in damages may also receive up to $2,500 in cash.

As we reported previously, the $4,500 maximum reward offered under the settlement would not even begin to cover the cost of properly remediating a home with Chinese drywall. Such an effort is estimated to cost at least $100,000 per home. More More Problems Cited with Lowe’s Chinese Drywall Settlement

A proposed settlement in a Chinese drywall lawsuit involving Lowe’s stores looks like it will benefit lawyers and the retailer far more than plaintiffs. Astonishingly, plaintiffs in the lawsuit would receive Lowe’s gift cards in amounts ranging from $50 to $2,000 if it is adopted. Those who can prove they’ve suffered more than $2,000 in damages may also receive up to $2,500 in cash.

According to the Web site ProPublica, the class-action suit is being decided in a Georgia state court. It is not included in the multi-district litigation currently underway in federal court in New Orleans, which involves the Chinese drywall manufacturers Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin Co. Lt and Taishan Gypsum Co. Ltd., as well as thousands of homeowners, builders and suppliers. More Lowe’s Offering Gift Cards in Chinese Drywall Settlement

Homeowner attorneys are hoping to protect their clients by seeking rules in settlements over defective Chinese drywall. Bradenton.com said the lawyers are asking a federal judge to put some rules in place on manufacturers’ settlement attempts with home builders, noting that builders and Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin Co. Ltd. (KPT), could potentially use settlement talks to persuade homeowners to agree to terms that would not be in their best interests.

For instance, wrote Bradenton.com, builders could unfairly use talks to ensure homeowners—who might not fully understand the ramifications involved—waive legal rights or accept inadequate remediation. More Rules Sought for Chinese Drywall Settlements

It seems Habitat for Humanity is finally taking steps to address the Chinese drywall issue. According to the Sarasota-Herald Tribune, the non-profit group has established an internal task force to research use of the defective wallboard in homes it built in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.

The Sarasota-Herald Tribune, in cooperation with ProPublica, recently reported that Habitat built more than 200 homes with Chinese drywall in the hurricane-ravaged city and then ignored homeowners’ complaints about it. Most of the Habitat houses raising concerns are located in the Musicians Village, a development built to help bring musicians back to the city after the hurricane. More Habitat for Humanity Forms Chinese Drywall Task Force

Habitat for Humanity has begun investigating around 50 New Orleans homes it built following Hurricane Katrina amid concerns that they contain potentially defective Chinese drywall. According to a report by ProPublica, the organization has already confirmed that five houses have Chinese drywall and are exhibiting problems associated with the product, such as corroded electrical wiring.

Most of the Habitat houses raising concerns are located in the Musicians Village, a development built to help bring musicians back to the city after the hurricane, ProPublica said. Three homeowners in the Village told reporters from ProPublica and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune of a range of problems, from failed appliances and electronics to corroded metals and jewelry. They also complained of respiratory problems, irritated eyes and other symptoms. At least one homeowner said she had been complaining to Habitat for more than a year about her issues. More 200 Habitat for Humanity Homes in New Orleans Built with Chinese Drywall

It seems even more companies than previously thought knew about tainted Chinese drywall as early as 2006, but kept quiet about its problems. According to a ProPublica report, these firms didn’t even make their knowledge public in 2008, when homeowners first began complaining about the smelly wallboard.

In a prior investigation, ProPublica had already reported that Florida builder, WCI Communities and Miami-based Banner Supply had known about defective Chinese drywall in 2006. Documents unsealed in a Miami Chinese drywall class action lawsuit included an agreement from that year between Banner and Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin – one of the biggest makers of the drywall – that required Banner to keep quiet about the tainted wallboard. Other unsealed documents revealed that Banner wouldn’t even agree to take the defective drywall from Knauf when the manufacturer offered to give it away, free of charge. More Installers, Builders Knew About Chinese Drywall in 2006

A Florida jury has awarded plaintiffs in a Chinese drywall lawsuit more than $2 million for damage done to their home. Meanwhile, in New Orleans, two Chinese drywall lawsuits filed against Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin Co. were dismissed, after the manufacturer settled with plaintiffs.

The Florida verdict was handed down last Friday by a Miami-Dade Circuit Court jury, in what was the first U.S. jury trial to involve defective Chinese drywall. The jury found that Miami-based Banner Supply Co. was 55 percent responsible for damage done to the home of Armin and Lisa Seifart, and awarded them $2.4 million. More $2.4 Million Verdict in One Chinese Drywall Suit, Settlements Reported in Two Others

Taishan Gypsum Co. Ltd., one of the companies that imported potentially defective Chinese drywall to the U.S., has finally acknowledged the litigation surrounding the crisis. According to a report in The Virginian-Pilot, Taishan Gypsum has appealed a federal court decision awarding $2.6 million in damages to a group of Virginia homeowners.

Taishan Gypsum, which is owned by the Chinese government, was hit with the verdict in April in a case decided by U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon. The lawsuit was one of the first to be litigated in the Chinese drywall multidistrict litigation now underway in New Orleans. The $2.6 million damage award came after Judge Fallon had issued a default judgment against Taishan Gypsum when it failed to respond to lawsuits. More Taishan Gypsum Appeals Chinese Drywall Verdict