Knauf Stipulation, Court Ruling Pave Way for Punitive Claims in Fla. Drywall Cases

MIAMI - Plaintiffs in the Miami-Dade Chinese Drywall litigation may amend their complaints to include punitive damage claims against manufacturer Knauf Plasterboard (Tianjin) Co. and its related entities, sources involved with the case announced this month. In Re: Chinese-Manufactured Drywall Products Litigation, No. 09-200000 42-CA (Fla. Cir. Ct., Miami-Dade Cty.).

The announcement came after an Oct. 25 hearing in which Miami-Dade County Circuit Court Judge Joseph P. Farina denied Knauf's bid to challenge the plaintiffs' proposed amendments. Knauf maintained that a plaintiffs' motion to add punitive damages claims was not ripe for determination, especially in cases where the defendant has …