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Chinese Drywall Forces NFL Coach From His Home

Jun 24, 2009 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLP

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton is among the Louisiana residents whose homes have been ruined by defective Chinese drywall.  According to a report on CBSSports.com, Payton has been forced to move from his suburban New Orleans home because of the Chinese drywall.

Homeowners in more than a dozen states have complained that fumes from Chinese-made drywall produce a “rotten eggs” odor and cause metals, such as air conditioning coils, to corrode. The fumes have also been associated with respiratory and sinus problems in some residents. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, the U.S. imported roughly 309 million square feet of drywall from China during the housing boom from 2004 to 2007.

Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released results of tests it conducted that compared Chinese drywall to American-made material. The tests found sulfur and two organic compounds associated with acrylic paint in the Chinese drywall that were not present in the American wallboard. The agency said more testing is needed to determine if any of the compounds found in the Chinese drywall are responsible for problems reported by homeowners.

According to CBSSports.com, fumes from the Chinese drywall in Payton's Mandeville home have caused electrical devices to fail repeatedly, and have turned sterling silver jewelry black. Payton told reporters that his family has experienced  five computer failures, three microwave oven panel failures, and have had an entire set of phone lines replaced.  At least 80 percent of the walls in his home are made with the Chinese drywall, Payton said.

Like many other drywall victims, Payton and his family have been forced to move. In addition to paying for a rental, Payton is paying to have the Chinese drywall in his home removed and replaced. He has also sued the drywall manufacturer, the supplier and the home builder, CBSSPorts.com said.

Thousands of other Chinese drywall victims from around the country have  filed similar lawsuits, hoping to recoup some of their losses. Earlier this month, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation issued an order consolidating and transferring all pending federal lawsuits to  the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.