Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) issued the following statement today in response to the decision by the Rhode Island Supreme Court in State of Rhode Island v. Lead Industries Association, Inc., et al:
“There is no doubt that lead paint manufactured by these companies caused grave harm to thousands of Rhode Island children. It has for years been Rhode Island’s worst public health problem for children. The Court’s decision to overturn a jury verdict holding the paint manufacturers who caused this problem accountable is deeply disappointing to me and to the many people who worked hard for years to remedy this harm.
“Many homes remain contaminated; many children already suffer from lead poisoning. Today’s decision makes abatement and treatment efforts the responsibility of Rhode Island families and taxpayers alone, letting the companies who caused this off the hook.”
Whitehouse filed the state’s first lawsuit against lead paint manufacturers during his tenure as Rhode Island Attorney General. He is a member of the Senate Judiciary and Environment and Public Works Committees.
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