Rhode Island Judge Orders Second Lead-Paint Trial to Proceed in April 2004
PROVIDENCE, RI - Rhode Island Superior Court Judge Michael A. Silverstein has scheduled the state's second public-nuisance lawsuit against former suppliers of lead paint and pigments for the week of April 5, 2004.
The first trial in the state's lawsuit against eight defendants ended in a mistrial last fall when the jury was unable to reach a verdict following seven weeks of testimony. The state alleges that the companies created a public nuisance when they sold lead-based paints decades ago. The companies named as defendants insist such old paint is only a hazard if not properly maintained. The state's lawsuit was filed in 1999.