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Home News & Case Notes ATLA: Rhode Island Civil Justice System Protects Children from Dangers of Lead Paint Manufacturers That Knew Lead Paint Was Deadly Held Accountable, Forced to Clean Up Contamination (3/1/2023) � The Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA) reports that last Wednesday a Rhode Island jury ruled that three paint companies endangered children by selling lead paint they knew for decades to be deadly, and today the judge in the case ordered the companies to clean up lead paint problems in over 300,000 homes. According to a press statement from ATLA, more than 30,000 children in Rhode Island have been poisoned by lead paint, according to state Attorney General Patrick Lynch. One quarter of the nation�s homes have significant lead-based paint hazards, and as many as 1.4 million children under age seven remain at risk, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. �The civil justice system not only held manufacturers accountable for knowingly exposing Rhode Islanders to dangerous lead paint, it ensured that Rhode Island children living in homes with lead paint will be safer in the future,� said Jon Haber, Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA). Filed by then-Rhode Island Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse in 1999, the case was the first to hold the paint industry responsible for the dangers lead paint poses to the public, especially to children, who risk permanent brain damage or even death, According to ATLA. �Manufacturers of lead paint put profits before the safety of the public � had they stopped using lead when they knew it was harmful, hundreds of thousands of children would not have been poisoned or permanently injured,� said Haber. Paint manufacturers knew for decades lead paint posed a threat to the public but continued to market it anyway. One paint advertisement even implied lead paint had positive health effects.[1][1] The use of lead paint was finally banned by the federal government in 1978, but it remains widespread, especially in older homes in the Northeast. The landmark Rhode Island decision could spur the cleanup of contamination in surrounding states where lead paint is prevalent in older homes. �When CEOs and the most powerful industries dominate our political process, the civil justice system is the last resort to hold negligent corporations accountable and protect our children,� said Haber. For more information, visit ATLA�s web site www.atla.org ###