Stories by Jonathan Bilyk on Northern California Record

In ruling that three paint manufacturers have known since the early 20th Century of the danger the use of lead paint inside homes posed to children, a California appeals court has upheld the bulk of a judge’s reasoning in ordering the paint companies to pay more than $1 billion for their alleged contributions to a “public nuisance” caused by the continued presence of lead paint in old homes.

Lawyers for three current and former paint manufacturers on the hook for a $1.15 billion judgment over the presence of lead paint in more than 3 million California homes have asked a California appeals court to overturn that judgment, saying the judge overreached and trespassed on legal turf more properly reserved for lawmakers, and to rule otherwise would open a virtual Pandora’s box of further judicial abuses and other unforeseen harms on homeowners, businesses and taxpayers, alike.

SAN JOSE – Nearly three years ago, a California judge ordered a group of three paint makers to pay $1.15 billion to 10 California cities and counties to remediate what the judge decided was the “public nuisance” of lead paint in homes.