James Hardie knew its Harditex cladding was not working years before it withdrew the product, the High Court at Wellington heard on Monday. The homeowners claim James Hardie was negligent and made misleading statements in relation to the manufacture and sale of its Harditex wall cladding system. By December 1999, James Hardie knew its product wasn't working, Farmer said, and it should have warned the market and immediately withdrawn the product. James Hardie did not test the cladding, Farmer said, but developed a separate product called Monotech, which it marketed as a cheaper alternative. James Hardie was on notice from 1995, Farmer said, after internal documents expressed concern about the possibility of court action.

Source: Stuff August 16, 2020 23:20 UTC