A southwest Florida couple who complained about corrosive gas leaks will wait to file a lawsuit against two U.S. drywall companies after one of them came forward and offered to inspect their home, their attorney said Monday.
Brenda and George Brincku, who live near Fort Myers, claim they have experienced the same problem bedeviling homes built in 2006 with Chinese drywall even though they built with an American-made product. They claim their air conditioning components, electrical wiring and metal objects in the home have corroded because of sulphur gas discharged by wallboard that is not 100-percent gypsum.
At least 80 percent of their drywall was supplied by National Gypsum of Charlotte, N.C., said Ervin Gonzalez, their Coral Gables, Fla., attorney. The rest was made by Chicago-based USG. USG has said that its subsidiary, L&W Supply, imported a small amount of Chinese drywall in 2006 when supplies were scarce because of the building boom and a series of destructive hurricanes.
Gonzalez, a partner with Colson Hicks Eidson, said National Gypsum contacted him after company officials read in the Daily Business Review last Thursday about the Brinckus' plan to sue.
"We gave them an extension before we file the lawsuit to allow them to look into the problem in detail and give them the opportunity to do the right thing," he said.
A call to National Gypsum's general counsel, Sam Schiffman, was not returned by deadline.
Gonzalez filed a federal class action lawsuit Monday against three Chinese companies operated by Knauf Plasterboard, joining a cavalcade of litigation against the company. Knauf has said it is one of many Chinese manufacturers of drywall. The Miami class action also names builders and a supplier.
