Welcome to For the Injured

Welcome to the premiere Sunday night posting of For the Injured. For the Injured will discuss legal issues, mostly in a South Florida context. Though written by a lawyer, the goal of For the Injured is to make everyone more aware of their rights when harmed due to the negligence of others.

Let me begin by introducing myself. I am an attorney with Gordon & Doner, P.A., a primarily personal injury law firm. I graduated from the University of Florida and subsequently attended law school at Nova Southeastern University.

For my first post, I will be discussing something most of you are already aware of, Chinese Drywall. Short of living under a rock, or outside of South Florida, you probably have have at least heard something about this problem. Hopefully, you are one of the fortunate ones who are not living through the nightmare of many of our family and friends.

During the recent housing bubble, many home builders went overseas to purchase drywall. Unfortunately, a large amount of drywall from China did not contain pure gypsum, as is the industry standard. Instead, the drywall contains a mix of gypsum and cellulose. When the two are combined, they deteriorate and emit the sulfurous gas.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to determine if you too are a victim of defective drywall:
Does your South Florida home reek of rotten eggs?
Have you noticed problems with appliances and plumbing that have required frequent repair? Have you or a family member suffered from unexplained respiratory problems, nosebleeds, or rashes?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, your home may be one of thousands that were allegedly built with defective Chinese drywall.

The true scope of this problem is still unknown. While its epicenter is South Florida, there are reports that it has been used all over the country. Most recently, it is alleged to have been used in the reconstruction of New Orleans, post hurricane Katrina.

I will continue to provide updates on the subject as they develop. For the Injured welcomes all comments, questions and suggestions for future topics. You can also follow For The Injured on Twitter.com. Thank you for visiting our page.

You can contact the author directly at AWerner@fortheinjured.com.