Louisiana Jury Clears Chinese Drywall Supplier, Says It Had No Knowledge of Hidden Defect

NEW ORLEANS — A federal jury has determined that Interior Exterior Building Supply Co. was not a bad faith seller of allegedly defective Chinese drywall that caused corrosion-related damage in thousands of homes throughout the Southeastern United States.

Jurors handed up the verdict Dec. 3 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana following a week-long bellwether trial before Judge Eldon E. Fallon. Jurors were asked to decide whether InEx knew or should have known that the drywall it purchased from China was defective.

“The jury affirmed that InEx is a trustworthy local business. Blame for the Chinese …