August 2, 2007

Our regular readers are well aware of recent judicial and jury decisions slamming the door on lead paint public nuisance abatement suits--in Wisconsin, Ohio, New Jersey, Missouri, and California.

For those who haven't noticed the box to the right, the Manhattan Institute's Center for Legal Policy has released a new Trial Lawyers, Inc. update summarizing these trends, as well as the history of such suits leading to last year's staggering Rhode Island lead paint verdict. A quick preview:

The spate of recent commonsense rulings throws into serious doubt earlier worries that lead paint might become the next asbestos. All eyes will now be on Rhode Island, to see whether its supreme court reverses the multibillion-dollar verdict or upholds the state's lead paint public nuisance claim contrary to the fundamental tort requirements linking injury to wrongdoing by a specific actor.