Various Articles About ABTCO
(and others)

Siding problems?
by Caroline E. Mayer The Washington Post  Wayne Thevenot calls himself a "victim of bad judgment," all because he and his wife,  Laura, decided to use Masonite hardboard siding on the exterior of their new addition when they remodeled seven years ago. 

Faulty Siding Complaints Require Surveys
Wisconsinites Try To Get Their Fair Share Of Lawsuits --State consume officials have taken the next   step in  investigating  faulty home siding sold to thousands of Wisconsin residents, reports News3's Katy Sai. What originally began as a consumer warning and evolved into the subpoenaing of local manufacturers has now gone public -- in the form of homeowner surveys.

 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF TEXAS
No. 97-0884 In re Masonite Corp., Abitibi-Price Corp., and MG Building Materials, Inc., Relators consolidated for oral argument with No. 97-0885 In re Masonite Corp., Abitibi-Price Corp., and MG Building Materials, Inc., Relators  On Petitions for Writs of Mandamus  Argued on October 20, 1998 

Siding Is State's Biggest Housing Problem. 
Damage Totals $300 Million Across Nation MADISON, Posted 9:40 a.m. September 14, 1998  State consumer protection officials call it  one of the biggest housing problems they've ever seen.

Home Siding Suits Spark Action
Wisconsin Residents Rush To Claim Settlement Cash MADISON, Posted 3:45 p.m.  August 2, 1998  The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has been swamped with a record number of  phone calls since News 3 aired a story a few weeks ago about faulty hardboard house siding. 

Reimbursement for Defective Siding on Homes
(Madison) The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection The clock keeps ticking for owners of homes constructed with certain types of exterior hardboard siding who have experienced siding damages or replacement costs.

State Issues Subpoenas To Home Siding Manufacturers
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection is issuing subpoena and civil investigative demands this week to six manufacturers of reconstituted wood building materials used  in home siding, roofing and sheathing.

Health Fact Sheet For Homeowners With Rotting Wood Composite Siding:
Mold and Health Factsheet Fungi detected in the indoor air of two Waukesha County homes with rotting wood composite siding may pose a slight risk to people with asthma or allergies, according to the Wisconsin Division of  Health. The levels found in the indoor air would not affect healthy individuals.

When Dream Products Turn Into Nightmares Is Your House a "Composite"? Will the Stuff Fall Apart? What to Do if It Does? 
By June Fletcher , The Wall Street Journal, July 24, 1998  Millions of U.S. homeowners across the country who bought homes since the mid-1980s building boom have discovered that some commonly used synthetic or composite building materials, though touted as dream products, can become nightmares. Worse, some of these products may be found in the sheathing and subflooring -- the musculature of a house --where damage may not be apparent until it is already far gone.

Inspectors to target siding problems  Group says it will also advise on pursuing damage claims 
By Michele Derus of the Journal Sentinel staff  November 1, 1998 The Wisconsin Association of Home Inspectors has pledged its help in identifying dwellings with problem-plagued wood composite housing siding and advising inhabitants of how to pursue damage claims. 

Damage mounts as siding rots off homes Already a costly mess elsewhere, boards become 'monster problem' here
By  Michele Derus of the Journal Sentinel staff September 13, 1998
Sue and Jim Knoernschild's white Waukesha house is tinged with black, the result of rot and mildew from a wood  composite siding that has racked up more than $300 million in damage claims nationwide but whose impact is just  surfacing in Wisconsin.