Rhode Island Seeks Lead Paint Abatement
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Patrick Lynch, the attorney general of Rhode Island has requested that a judge approve a statewide abatement plan on lead paint that may cost three former lead paint manufacturers approximately $2.4 billion.
Attorney General Lynch announced his plan on September 14. Under his plan Sherwin-Williams Co., NL Industries Inc., and Millenium Holdings would be required to pay for lead testing and abatement in over 240,000 Rhode Island houses and hundreds of schools and child care centers.
Judge Michael Silverstein of the Rhode Island Superior Court gave the companies a deadline of November 15 to make a response to the plan, the terms of which Judge Silverstein would have to approve.
The proposal for abatement follows a successful February 2006 lawsuit against several former lead paint makers. In that case, the jury found that lead paint was considered to be a public nuisance and that liability for correcting it fell upon the three companies. Atlantic Richfield Co., the fourth defendant in that case, was not found liable.
Motions by the defense for Judge Silverstein to overturn the verdict and for a new trial were rejected. The three companies filed an appeal to the Rhode Island Supreme Court earlier this year.
Judge Silverstein has already ordered steps to implement the verdict, which led to the attorney general's abatement plan. However, no plan can be implemented until the appeals process is completed.
For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Defective and Dangerous Products.