Homeowner Cannot Assert Claim in Insurer's Drywall Coverage Case, Fla. Court Rules

TAMPA, Fla. - A Florida judge has ruled that a homeowner named as a defendant in a Chinese drywall coverage suit cannot assert counterclaims against the insurer that brought the case against him and the company that supplied the drywall used to build his townhouse. American Home Assurance Co., et al. v. Arrow Terminals Inc., et al., No. 11-1278 (M.D. Fla.).

Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida ruled Dec. 7 that under Florida law, a third-party defendant's claim in a coverage case initiated by an insurer does not become ripe …