Milwaukee Lead PaintIn 2001, the City of Milwaukee brought a public nuisance lawsuit against two manufacturers of lead paint and lead pigment, NL Industries, Inc. (formerly known as "National Lead Co.") and Mautz Paint (now owned by the Sherwin-Williams Company), seeking funds for past and future abatement of lead paint in residential homes. A trial court dismissed the case in 2003, but the next year, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals became the first appellate court in the country to uphold a municipality's right to sue lead paint companies for creating a public nuisance by selling and promoting lead pigment and lead paint when they knew it to be hazardous. The claims against Mautz were severed and the case proceeded to trial in June, 2007 against NL. The jury reached a verdict for the defendant and the City has filed post-trial motions for relief seeking a new trial.
|
