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Research grants settle landmark lead paint suit for one defendant.


The state of Rhode Island Rhode Island, island, United States
Rhode Island, island, 15 mi (24 km) long and 5 mi (8 km) wide, S R.I., at the entrance to Narragansett Bay. It is the largest island in the state, with steep cliffs and excellent beaches.
 has dismissed its lead paint suit against one defendant, Dupont Corp., after the company agreed to fund research and education on the hazards of lead-based paint. The company will pay for the removal of lead hazards in at least 600 homes and give a multimillion-dollar grant to the Children's Health Children's Health Definition

Children's health encompasses the physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being of children from infancy through adolescence.
 Forum, a nonprofit group that works to prevent childhood exposure to lead hazards, and a research grant to Brown University Medical School.

State Attorney General Patrick Lynch Patrick Lynch can refer to:
  • Patrick Lynch (bishop), Catholic bishop during the American Civil War
  • Patrick Lynch (auxiliary bishop), Roman Catholic Diocese of Southwark
  • Patrick C.
 said in a press release that his office was pursuing this litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute.

When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation.
 "for the explicit purpose of ensuring that the children of Rhode Island--particularly those in the inner cities--are protected from the hazards of lead poisoning lead poisoning or plumbism (plŭm`bĭz'əm), intoxication of the system by organic compounds containing lead. . What makes this announcement so gratifying grat·i·fy  
tr.v. grat·i·fied, grat·i·fy·ing, grat·i·fies
1. To please or satisfy: His achievement gratified his father. See Synonyms at please.

2.
 is that this money will go straight to cleaning up the mess."

Filed in October 1999, the case was the first of its kind brought by a state attorney general. It claims the lead paint makers knew that their product was dangerous and that safer alternatives existed but continued to misrepresent mis·rep·re·sent  
tr.v. mis·rep·re·sent·ed, mis·rep·re·sent·ing, mis·rep·re·sents
1. To give an incorrect or misleading representation of.

2.
 the paint as safe. It also alleges the industry made a coordinated effort to thwart warning-label requirements. The attorney general's standing to sue was upheld in April 2001. (Sara Hoffman Jurand, Ruling May Boost Lead Paint Litigation, TRIAL, June 2001, at 19.)

The first attempt to try the case resulted in a hung jury in October 2002. A new trial against the remaining defendants Atlantic Richfield Co., American Cyanamid Co., ConAgra, Millennium, NL Industries, Inc., and Sherwin-Williams Co.--is set for this month. (Rhode Island v. Lead Industries Ass'n, No. 99-5226 (R.I., Providence Super. Ct. filed Oct. 12, 1999).)

Makers of lead-based pigment for paint face similar suits by cities and public entities across the country. In November 2004, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals The Wisconsin Court of Appeals is the intermediate appellate court in the state of Wisconsin, above the Wisconsin Circuit Courts but below the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The court of appeals was created in 1977 to assist the Wisconsin court system handle the rising number of  reinstated a suit by the city of Milwaukee, first filed in April 2001, against an industry group and one local paint producer and seller. An appeal to the state supreme court is pending.

Claims by the city of St. Louis were upheld in November 2001, and that case is pending. Suits by several Texas school districts are on hold while one claim proceeds with appeals. A class action by several California counties and cities was dismissed but is currently on appeal, as are cases brought by the city of Chicago and several public entities in New Jersey.
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Title Annotation:Rhode Island
Author:Jurand, Sara Hoffman
Publication:Trial
Date:Sep 1, 2005
Words:397
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