FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

GILMAN AND PASTOR, LLP ANNOUNCES CLAIMS BAR DATE OF DECEMBER 13, 2002 FOR COMPENSATION UNDER CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT AFFECTING THOUSANDS OF UNAWARE, HIGH OCCUPANCY BUILDING OWNERS.

BOSTON, MA - May 14, 2002 - Building Owners should be aware of urgent deadline information for the filing of their claims in a nationwide class action settlement approved by the United States District Court with the manufacturer of Beazer phenolic foam roof insulation ("PFRI"). Installed between 1980 and 1989 in thousands of high occupancy buildings, Beazer PFRI insulation releases acids, which corrode steel roof decks.

The Settlement in this lawsuit, Sebago, Inc., et al. v. Beazer East, Inc., affects thousands of potentially "unaware" building owners in the United States whose roofs contain Beazer PFRI manufactured by Koppers Company.

The Settlement provides substantial compensation. However, the Claims Bar date set by the U.S. District Court is December 13, 2002. You must contact the Court Appointed Notice Administrator at 877-428-7374 in order to file a claim. You must act immediately to protect your legal rights; otherwise, your failure to timely file a claim for each property with PFRI will result in a loss of your claim.

The compensation provided under the Settlement includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• A free comprehensive inspection of your roof system and steel roof deck by a Third Party Inspector and the issuance to you of a free, detailed Field Inspection Report;
• Payment for the full remediation of the steel roof deck on a square foot unit price basis (i.e. $6.00 per square foot for deck replacement x 100,000 square feet = $600,000). Class counsel and our structural engineers obtained a low threshold "deck replacement standard", which is extremely favorable to building owners. So, for example, if your steel roof deck is 100,000 square feet and it meets the low replacement standard, the settlement would pay, among other relief, $600,000.00 for deck replacement based upon your obtaining three bids;
• Payment for the complete removal and replacement of the entire existing roof system pro-rated;
• Interior Protection Costs;
• Design Reimbursement Compensation;
• Alternate square foot deck compensation;
• The waiver by the defendant Beazer East, Inc. of all of its legal defenses; and
• The establishment of an Independent Claims Adjudicator to resolve any disputes.

Notice of the settlement was mailed to thousands of building owners that have already been identified. Plaintiffs' attorney Kenneth Gilman states, "we are particularly concerned with this situation because, according to our investigation, many building owners and inspectors are not aware of the severe problems caused by the product. PFRI was installed in thousands of high-occupancy and commercial buildings, including schools, office buildings, condominiums and apartment buildings, manufacturing facilities, restaurants, shopping plazas and malls. To ensure that we get the message out and that people receive the available settlement funding, we have published notices in newspapers, trade journals, television and at a web site we have established -- www.pfriclaims.com."

Building owners are able to determine whether they have Beazer PFRI in their roofs by examining their roofing system warranties, their original roof specifications, or taking a small test cut of their roof. Beazer PFRI was sold in the United States under the brand names "Koppers", "Exeltherm Xtra," and "Rx". It was also incorporated in some roofing systems under the brand names "Genstar," "Pittsburgh-Corning," and "Loadmaster." Building owners can conclusively determine if they have Beazer PFRI by taking a test cut of their roof insulation and comparing it to the samples shown in the web site.

Plaintiffs' lead counsel in the case is the law firm of Gilman and Pastor, LLP of Saugus, Massachusetts.

Contact:
Court Appointed Notice Administrator
Standish Legal Processing - 877-428-7374

Plaintiff's Lead Counsel
Gilman and Pastor, LLP - 781-231-7850

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