Court Ruling Allows State to Proceed with Lead-Paint Suit
PROVIDENCE, RI - In a decision hailed by an advocacy group as a victory for the plaintiffs, Rhode Island Superior Court Judge Michael Silverstein ruled that the state's attorney general can proceed with a lawsuit against former suppliers of lead-based paint and lead pigments. But Silverstein said the state's case must be restricted to whether old lead-based paints constitute a public nuisance.
The ruling means that if Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse is able to prove that lead-paint and pigment manufacturers did cause a public nuisance, the case could proceed to hearings on whether the industry is to blame and what type of remedy is warranted.