A 19-year legal struggle ended with three former makers of lead paint agreeing to pay $305 million to settle lead paint lawsuits brought by several communities of California.
The lead paint settlement was disclosed in a filing in Santa Clara County Superior Court on July 17, according to which defendants Sherwin-Williams, ConAgra Grocery Products Co. and NL Industries agreed to pay out the sum over six years, starting with a $75 million payment later this year. The allegations stated that the paint suppliers knew how dangerous lead contained in their products, but hid that data from the public. An initial verdict was passed in 2014, ordering the companies to pay $1.1 billion in damages, which was later overruled in 2017 stating that they could only be held responsible for lead paint in housing that predates 1951.
The settlement would benefit the counties of Alameda, Los Angeles, Monterey, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solana, and Ventura. The cities of Oakland, San Diego, and San Francisco are also included. Similar lawsuits have been filed against lead paint manufacturers other states, including Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.
Earlier, in June 2019, three plaintiffs were awarded $6 million in damages, $2 million each for the effects of lead poisoning. The lawsuit was settled in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Major paint manufacturers, Armstrong Container Corp., Sherwin Williams, American Cyanamid Company, Atlantic Richfield Co., and DuPont were the defendants. Plaintiffs alleged that they contracted lead poisoning due to lead exposure in their childhood.
Children are vulnerable to lead poisoning for decades. Most landlords and owners of dilapidated properties face such lawsuits due to the toxic paint that peels off the wall that risks the lives of children.
