Allura Fiber Cement Siding $12.5 Million Class Action Settlement

If you’re one of the many homeowners who have experienced problems with their Allura fiber cement siding, you’re not alone. Allura is a company known for providing home construction materials such as siding, panels, trim, and soffit.

A class action lawsuit has recently resulted in a $12.5 million settlement due to alleged defects in the product. Homeowners have reported issues such as cracking, bowing, shrinking, and breaking of the siding, prompting a class-action lawsuit against the manufacturer. The lawsuit claims that the fly ash used in the siding was cheaper than cement but resulted in water absorption, porosity problems, and other uniform defects that caused severe damage to the siding.

According to the lawsuit, Allura’s use of fly ash instead of conventional grain and silica sand in their fiber cement siding produced major faults in their product. Plaintiffs Martha Carbonaro and Jameson Storm both experienced siding cracking, bending, shrinking, and breaking after only a few years. Both claimants apparently contacted their builders to express their dissatisfaction with the faults, but their complaints were first dismissed until they told the manufacturer of the flaws. Even though the manufacturer said the siding would last 50 years, the plaintiffs said it was bad and needed expensive repairs.

Those filing a claim must choose one of three compensation options: replacement and repair, a quick cash option, or a cash option with proof of repair. The settlement pays for all of the damage that the failed siding is said to have caused, such as cracks, bowing, shrinking, warping, and breaks or gaps bigger than 3/16 of an inch.

Can I join the settlement?

In order to participate in the settlement, homeowners must have purchased Allura fiber cement siding for their home between February 1, 2014 and May 7, 2014, or between February 1, 2014 and February 18, 2015, from either the company’s White City, Oregon, or Roaring River, North Carolina, facilities. Each board has a sticker on the bottom that details the date and location of production.

Benefits

The settlement gives claimants three ways to get benefits, depending on the amount of damage and the size of the area that needs to be fixed.

• The first option, “Replacement and Repair,” gives $1 per square foot of replacement area for new siding and $4.75 per square foot of replacement area to help pay for other repairs. Claimants will also get an extra $200 if the total number of boards that need to be replaced is 20 or less. They will also get an extra $1 per square foot to paint the whole elevation if the replacement area is less than 30% of the elevation. The Settlement Class Member must then make the repairs, including replacing the siding, within nine (9) months of getting the first payment and show proof of repairs to the Claims Administrator in order to get the rest of the money.
• Option No. 2 is the Quick Cash Option, which pays only for qualifying damage to the siding and doesn’t require 30% or more of the elevation to be replaced. The settlement class member will get $4.25 per square foot of qualifying damage from the claims administrator. This will happen within 30 days of the final approval of the claim.
• Option No. 3 is the cash option with proof of repair. If a settlement class member has qualifying damage that is less than 30% of an elevation, they can get their money back if they can show proof that the damage has been fixed.