PROVIDENCE – Superior Court Judge Michael A. Silverstein today ruled that Sherwin-Williams Co. and other former makers of lead paint must pay the costs of cleaning up affected Rhode Island homes and public buildings, Bloomberg News reports. He also denied the paint companies’ request for a new trial.
Last February, a Rhode Island jury found that by selling lead paint, Sherwin-Williams, NL Industries and Millennium Holdings LLC had created a public-health threat. The verdict was the first to hold the industry liable for the harm caused by lead paint, which federal officials banned in 1978 because it has been linked to brain and nerve damage in children.
In his 197-page decision today, Silverstein did not specify how much the companies will have to pay, but said he will appoint a special master to help decide whether the companies must remove the paint or may just cover it up. Officials contend that as many as 240,000 homes in the state are affected, as well as schools and other public buildings.
Shares in Sherwin-Williams, the nation’s largest paint maker, slid $3.08 to $66.91 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading and shares of NL lost 33 cents to $11.40, Bloomberg News said at 1:07 p.m., while Millenium owner Lyondell Chemical Co. rose 90 cents to $32.84.
Spokesmen for Sherwin-Williams and NL Industries weren’t immediately available for comment, Bloomberg said.
