The Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeals has issued the first Appellate Court decision dealing with the Louisiana New Home Warranty Act and its application to Chinese Drywall claims in the case of Jennifer L. Caminita, wife of/and Frank L. Caminita v. Regina, wife of/and Barney Core, Smith and Core, Inc., et al., State of Louisiana Court of Appeals, First Circuit, 2010 CA 1961.
The First Circuit has ruled that the periods of limitation set forth in the New Home Warranty Act provide the exclusive periods by which claims can be brought against home builders for alleged defects related to the installation of Chinese Drywall in new homes. In the Caminita case the First Circuit specifically found that the one year preemptive period provided by La.R.S. 9:3144A(1) was applicable to claims related to Chinese Drywall incorporated into new homes. Based on this finding, the court dismissed the action against the home builder.
This ruling by the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeals is the first Louisiana case reported at the appellate level on this issue and is in line with decisions by district courts last year which were also reported on the Kean Miller blog.