Rhode Island's Supreme Court last week rejected efforts by the state's attorney general to hold lead pigment manufacturers liable for injuries suffered by children exposed to lead paint, throwing out the only jury verdict against paint-makers in multiple suits filed nationwide that were based on alleged violations of “public nuisance” laws.
The court decision threw out a 2006 jury verdict against Sherwin-Williams Companies, NL Industries Inc. and Millennium Holdings LLC, which held them liable for creating a “public nuisance” by manufacturing and selling a toxic product.
“Justice is based on the relationship among people, but it must be based upon the rule of law,” the court said in its 4-0 decision. “This court is powerless to fashion independently a cause of action that would achieve the justice that these children deserve.”
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