Claims for Qualifying Damage to Masonite Hardboard Siding Installed in the 1980’s Must be Submitted by January 15, 2005 (NAPSA)—Thecourt-approved class action settlement with Masonite Corporation has so far paid out over $584 million to homeowners for qualifying damage to their Masonite hardboard siding. More homesarestill out there, and their owners maybeeligible to get a payment—but an important deadline to submit claims is approaching, lawyers for the homeowners announcedtoday. “In 1998, Masonite and International Paper Company did the right thing and agreed to pay homeownersfor all qualifying siding damage under the terms of a fair settlement, but claims for older installations— those during the 1980’s—must be submitted by January 15, 2005,” noted attorney Jonathan Selbin, of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, New York. A nationwide class action settlement approved by an Alabama state court in 1998 set up a 10- year claims process through an independent claims administrator. For those with Masonite hardboard siding installed during the 1980’s, the claims deadline was set at January 15, 2005. For those with Masonite hardboard siding installed between 1990 and January 15, 1998, the deadline was set at January 15, 2008. “According to recent figures more than 250,000 claims have been received, and more than $584 million has been paid to homeowners with qualifying siding damage. That is a tremendous victory for homeowners,” said attorney Richard Dor- man of Cunningham, Bounds, Yance, Crowder & Brown, of Mo- bile, Alabama, who also represents the homeowners. The settlement pays all claims for siding damage that qualifies under the settlement, including thickness swelling, fungal degradation, buckling, raised or popped fibers, and other types of qualifying damage. Homeowners may send in a claim form to ask for a The claims deadline for Masonite siding installed during the 1980’s is January 15, 2005. payment from the settlement if they own a property with qualifying Masonite hardboard siding damage. The amount of the payments that homeownersareeligible to receive is determined by the amount of qualifying damaged siding, the cost of siding replacement, and the age of the siding. Someproblemscausedby installation are not covered. “The payment formula has allowed thousands of homeowners across the country to get significant amounts of money that they can put toward replacing their siding or anything else they want to use it for,” Selbin observed. Masonite hardboard siding was made from wood fiber, wax, and resin, and was designed to look like conventional wood siding. It was sold in both lap (board) and panel (sheet) applications in various textures. One Alabama homeowner, George Yurcisin, sent in a claim form. “After they looked over the house, I got a check in the mail. It was great. And, it was a real simple process,” he noted. Claim forms and more informa- tion can be obtained by calling 1800-330-2722. The Court’s 1998 official notice can be viewed at www.masoniteclaims.com.
