Chinese drywall gets class-action lawsuit

MIAMI, May 28 (UPI) -- A Florida judge has granted class-action status to a lawsuit against homebuilders over tainted Chinese drywall used in home construction, documents show.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Joseph Farina approved the status for a case brought against South Kendall Construction Corp. and Palm Isles Holdings to include homeowners living in Palm Isles, Arbor Place and Augusta Green subdivisions, The Miami Herald reported Friday.

Some brands of imported Chinese drywall have been emitting large quantities of hydrogen sulfide, corroding and blackening metal in homes and creating a rotten-egg smell, the newspaper said.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has received more than 3,000 complaints nationwide about drywall in homes.

Jason and Melissa Harrell, who brought the original suit against South Kendall Construction and Palm Isle Holdings, had to move into a rental property when the smell in their home made their sons ill, the Herald said.

"We're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel," Melissa Harrell said of the decision to make their suit a class action, but she isn't sure they would move back into her former home even after repairs.

"There's a lot of bad memories," Jason Harrell said.