Chinese drywall class action filed | Hendren, Redwine & Malone, PLLC

As reported by the Miami Herald, two South Florida law firms working on Chinese drywall cases joined forces Friday, filing a class-action lawsuit in Broward Circuit Court against Banner Supply, which distributed thousands of sheets of the defective product to builders across the state.

Attorneys Ervin Gonzalez of Colson Hicks Edison in Coral Gables and Mike Ryan of Krupnick Campbell Malone Buser Slama Hancock Liberman & McKee in Fort Lauderdale hope to consolidate thousands of suits filed against Miami-based Banner.

Last month, a Miami-Dade jury awarded a Coconut Grove couple Gonzalez represented $2.5 million for damages and expenses triggered by the imported drywall, supplied by Banner, which can make homes smell, ruin appliances and damage wiring.

Ryan and Gonzalez hope to use the argument in that case against Banner in the other cases. Gonzalez argued that Banner knew about potential problems with the drywall in 2006 and failed to warn anyone, although the company struck a deal with the manufacturer to have some of their Chinese drywall replaced.