WCI Communities Inc. and its subsidiaries contracted to build homes and residential communities in states such as Florida, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and Connecticut, but went bankrupt. The WCI Drywall Trust was formed in July 2009, Anderson Kill said, to assume liability for the claims.

Those claims, which began in 2006, the complaint notes, were for damages to homes WCI sold in Florida. The alleged damages included increased rates of corrosion of soft metal materials throughout the houses, various health issues allegedly arising from the drywall, and tarnishing of silver and soft metal within the homes.

In response to WCI's claims, the complaint states: “The insurance companies and the subcontractor insurance companies have either denied coverage, reserved their rights, failed to reply to WCI's notice letters, or otherwise failed to acknowledge coverage.”

The complaint seeks damages in an amount to be determined at trial, pre- and post-judgment interest, attorneys' fees, costs, and any other further relief the court deems proper.

The insurance companies involved are:

• American International Specialty Lines Insurance Company
• American Guarantee and Liability Insurance Company
• Amerisure Insurance Company and Amerisure Mutual Insurance Company
• Auto-Owners Insurance Company
• FCCI Commercial Insurance Company and FCCI Insurance Company
• Hermitage Insurance Company
• Illinois Union Insurance Company
• Landmark American Insurance Company
• Lexington Insurance Company
• Mid-Continent Casualty Company
• National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pa.
• Old Republic Insurance Company
• Scottsdale Insurance Company
• Steadfast Insurance Company

Government agencies, collectively called the “Interagency Drywall Task Force,” have been studying homes containing Chinese drywall after homeowners reported health problems and structural degradation due to living in homes that used Chinese drywall from 2004-2007, when domestic drywall was in short supply.

The Interagency Drywall Task Force has released two studies so far regarding the Chinese drywall complaints. The first found no direct linkage between the drywall and the reported health problems and/or degradation.

But the second study, released in November 2009, found a linkage between the Chinese drywall, the level of hydrogen sulfide in homes with the drywall, and the corrosion of metal components in the homes.

The task force's investigations are ongoing.