2.2.0.25falsefalse0215 - Disclosure - Litigationtruefalsefalse1falsefalseUSDfalsefalse1/1/2011 - 3/31/2011 USD ($) USD ($) / shares $Jan-01-2011_Mar-31-2011http://www.sec.gov/CIK0000757011duration2011-01-01T00:00:002011-03-31T00:00:00USDStandardhttp://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217USDiso42170USDEPSDividehttp://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217USDiso4217http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instancesharesxbrli0SharesStandardhttp://www.xbrl.org/2003/instancesharesxbrli0USDUSD$2true0usg_LitigationAbstractusgfalsenadurationLitigation.falsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalse1falsefalsefalse00falsefalsefalsefalsefalseOtherxbrli:stringItemTypestringLitigation.falsefalseLitigation [Abstract]3false0usg_LitigationTextBlockusgfalsenadurationRepresents disclosure of potentially material legal matters.falsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalseverboselabel1falsefalsefalse00  <div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"> <div align="left" style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 12pt"><b>15. Litigation</b> </div> <div align="left" style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 12pt">CHINESE-MANUFACTURED DRYWALL LAWSUITS<br /><br style="font-size: 6pt" /> L&W Supply Corporation is one of many defendants in lawsuits relating to Chinese-made wallboard installed in homes primarily in the southeastern United States during 2006 and 2007. The wallboard was made in China by a number of manufacturers, including Knauf Plasterboard (Tianjin) Co., and was sold or used by hundreds of distributors, contractors, and homebuilders. Knauf Tianjin is an affiliate or indirect subsidiary of Knauf Gips KG, a multinational manufacturer of building materials headquartered in Germany. The plaintiffs in these lawsuits, most of whom are homeowners, claim that the Chinese-made wallboard is defective and emits elevated levels of sulfur gases causing a bad smell and corrosion of copper or other metal surfaces. Plaintiffs also allege that the Chinese-made wallboard causes health problems such as respiratory problems and allergic reactions. The plaintiffs seek damages for the costs of removing and replacing the Chinese-made wallboard and other allegedly damaged property as well as damages for bodily injury, including medical monitoring in some cases. Most of the lawsuits against L&W Supply are part of the consolidated multi-district litigation titled <i>In re Chinese-Manufactured Drywall Products Liability Litigation</i>, MDL No. 2047, pending in New Orleans, Louisiana. The focus of the multi-district litigation to date has been on plaintiffs’ property damage claims and not their alleged bodily injury claims. </div> <div align="left" style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 6pt">     L&W Supply’s sales of Knauf Tianjin wallboard, which were confined to the Florida region in 2006, were relatively limited. The amount of Knauf Tianjin wallboard potentially sold by L&W Supply Corporation could completely furnish approximately 250-300 average-size houses; however, the actual number of homes involved is greater because many homes contain a mixture of different brands of wallboard. Our records contain the addresses of the homes and other construction sites to which L&W Supply delivered wallboard, but do not specifically identify the manufacturer of the wallboard delivered. Therefore, where Chinese-made wallboard is identified in a home, we can determine from our records whether L&W Supply delivered wallboard to that home. </div>   </div>  <div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"> <div align="left" style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 6pt">     To date, of the claims asserted where our records indicate we delivered wallboard to the home, we have identified approximately 233 homes where we have confirmed the presence of Knauf Tianjin wallboard or, based on the date and location, the wallboard in the home could be Knauf Tianjin wallboard. We have resolved the claims relating to approximately 88 of those homes by funding remediations of the homes, which have either been completed or are in process. </div> <div align="left" style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 6pt">     Although the vast majority of Chinese drywall claims against us relate to Knauf Tianjin board, we have received a few claims relating to other Chinese-made wallboard sold by L&W Supply Corporation. Most, but not all, of the other Chinese-made wallboard we sold was manufactured by Knauf at two other plants in China. We are not aware of any instances in which the wallboard from the other Knauf Chinese plants has been determined to cause odor or corrosion problems. </div> <div align="left" style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 6pt">     We asserted claims against Knauf, the manufacturer, for reimbursement and indemnification of our losses in connection with our sales of Knauf Tianjin wallboard. In the first quarter of 2011, we entered into an agreement with Knauf that caps our responsibility for homeowner property damage claims relating to Knauf Tianjin wallboard. The agreement with Knauf does not address claims for bodily injury or claims relating to wallboard made at other Knauf plants in China, neither of which has been a significant factor to date in the litigation relating to Chinese wallboard. </div> <div align="left" style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 6pt">     As of March 31, 2011, we have accrued $13 million for our estimated cost of resolving the Chinese wallboard property damage claims pending against L&W Supply and estimated to be asserted in the future, and, based on the terms of our settlement with Knauf, we have recorded a related receivable of $9 million. Our accrual does not take into account legal fees and costs, the costs of resolving claims for bodily injury, or any set-off for potential insurance recoveries. Our estimated liability is based on the information available to us to date regarding the number and type of pending claims, estimates of likely future claims, and the costs of resolving those claims. Our estimated liability could be higher if the other Knauf Chinese wallboard that we sold is determined to be problematic, the number of Chinese wallboard claims exceeds our estimates, or the cost of resolving bodily injury claims is more than nominal. Considering all factors known to date, we do not believe that these claims and other similar claims that might be asserted will have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position or cash flows. However, there can be no assurance that the lawsuits will not have such an effect. </div> <div align="left" style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 12pt">ENVIRONMENTAL LITIGATION<br /><br style="font-size: 6pt" /> We have been notified by state and federal environmental protection agencies of possible involvement as one of numerous “potentially responsible parties” in a number of Superfund sites in the United States. As a potentially responsible party, we may be responsible to pay for some part of the cleanup of hazardous waste at those sites. In most of these sites, our involvement is expected to be minimal. In addition, we are involved in environmental cleanups of other property that we own or owned. We believe that we have properly accrued for our potential liability in connection with these matters. Our accruals take into account all known or estimated undiscounted costs associated with these sites, including site investigations and feasibility costs, site cleanup and remediation, certain legal costs, and fines and penalties, if any. However, we continue to review these accruals as additional information becomes available and revise them as appropriate. </div> <div align="left" style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 12pt">OTHER LITIGATION<br /><br style="font-size: 6pt" /> We are named as defendants in other claims and lawsuits arising from our operations, including claims and lawsuits arising from the operation of our vehicles, product warranties, personal injury and commercial disputes. We believe that we have properly accrued for our potential liability in connection with these claims and suits, taking into account the probability of liability, whether our exposure can be reasonably estimated and, if so, our estimate of our liability or the range of our liability. We do not expect these or any other litigation matters involving USG to have a material adverse effect upon our results of operations, financial position or cash flows. </div> </div>  <!-- Begin Block Tagged NotefalsefalsefalsefalsefalseOtherus-types:textBlockItemTypestringRepresents disclosure of potentially material legal matters.No authoritative reference available.falsefalseLitigation12LitigationUnKnownUnKnownUnKnownUnKnownfalsetrue