Falsely Certified Brazilian Plywood for Hurricane Preparation Investigation

Migliaccio & Rathod LLP is currently investigating plywood sourced from Brazilian suppliers that was falsely certified as structurally sound. This has posed big problems particularly in Southeastern states like Florida where, in response to hurricane conditions, some local governments have required installation of structurally sound plywood that is “PS 1-09 compliant.”

Plywood that meets the PS 1-09 grade standard is labeled on the face of the panel with a stamp that designates the certifying agency, along with other information. It was recently revealed that 1.5 out of every 10 plywood panels installed in the US during 2017-2018 failed to meet the PS 1-09 standard, despite being labeled as compliant. In Florida, the failure rate is at least as high as 4 out of every 10 panels for panels that supposedly meet the PS 1-09 standard. If you purchased plywood for hurricane preparation or for other reasons, you can check to see whether it is potentially noncompliant. To do so, check the stamp on a panel – if it has “PFS-TECO” or “TPI” then it may be substandard and we may be able to help.

In the following images, you’ll see two examples of stamps that falsely represent a panel as meeting PS 1-09 grade requirements, and therefore are subject to our investigation:

However, in the image below, you’ll see an example of a stamp that is not the subject of our investigation — we believe it does meet the requisite plywood standards and is actually of PS 1-09 grade:

Are you a homeowner who purchased plywood with a “PFS-TECO” or “TPI” stamp on the panels?

If so, we would like to speak with you. Please complete the contact form on this page, send us an email at [email protected], or give us a call at (202) 470-3520 for more information.

Committed to Consumer Protection

The lawyers at Migliaccio & Rathod LLP have years of experience in class action litigation against large corporations, including in cases involving unfair and deceptive trade practice. More information about our current cases and investigations is available on our blog.