Statement By Bonnie Campbell, Former Attorney General of Iowa and Spokesperson for Defendants in Lead Pigment Litigation Filed By Cincinnati and Canton, Ohio
Posted on: Friday, 29 December 2006, 15:00 CST
CINCINNATI, Dec. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is a statement by Bonnie Campbell, former Attorney General of Iowa and spokesperson for Atlantic Richfield Co., Millenium Holdings, NL Industries and The Sherwin Williams Co., defendants in lead pigment litigation filed by Cincinnati and Canton, Ohio:
"In June 2006, in-depth reporting by its local newspaper exposed Cincinnati's failure to enforce its laws against owners of blighted housing who put children at risk by not maintaining their properties. The head of the Cincinnati City Council's Committee on Education, Health and Recreation reportedly said he was 'very upset about the failure on the city's part to work on this issue.' Now the city seeks to deflect responsibility for its own neglect and that of some Cincinnati landlords to companies who long ago made lead pigment used in paint. This is irresponsible and wrong. When landlords make a mess they should have to clean it up.
Lawsuits against companies that took action to take lead out of paint over 50 years ago -- decades before the federal government did and while lead paint was still being specified -- are not directed at solving a problem. Instead, such lawsuits are designed to line the pockets of private attorneys while relieving the real culpable parties of any responsibility and assuaging the embarrassment of city officials who have failed to do their jobs.
Groundless litigation distracts from proven solutions. Poorly maintained and blighted housing that poses multiple risks to children from faulty wiring, to rotting staircases to rodents and debris needs to be cleaned up. Ohio law requires that property owners keep their properties safe and free of hazards. Yet, reports earlier this year found that, despite 300 open cases in which Cincinnati property owners have refused orders to clean up, only two had been prosecuted. The tools exist in Cincinnati and Canton to finish the important job of making sure properties are safe for children. These companies are not responsible for the refusal of landlords to obey the law and maintain their properties.
These cities would be better served by enforcing the laws against those who fail to properly maintain their properties rather than by following profit-driven contingency fee lawyers down a path of lengthy, unwarranted and unwise litigation."
For more information on lead pigment litigation visit http://www.leadlawsuits.com/
Atlantic Richfield Co.; Millenium Holdings; NL Industries; The Sherwin
CONTACT: Chuck Vella of Edward Howard & Co., +1-937-603-5795; or GreggPerry of Prism Public Affairs, +1-202-352-6828, for Atlantic Richfield Co.;Millenium Holdings; NL Industries and The Sherwin Williams Co.
Web site: http://www.leadlawsuits.com/
Source: PRNewswire-USNewswire
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