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JURY BEGINS DELIBERATIONS IN LANDMARK RHODE ISLAND LEAD TRIAL
After More than Three Months of Trial, Jury is Out
Mt. PLEASANT, S.C., (February 14, 2006) After nearly 15 weeks of trial, Motley Rice LLC today announced that the jury has begun deliberation in the closely followed trial against four members of the lead pigment industry on behalf of the Rhode Island Attorney General, Patrick Lynch. Originally filed in 1999, the suit alleges that lead pigment manufacturers helped to create a significant public health crisis in the state of Rhode Island by manufacturing and distributing lead pigment for use in paint. The trial began on Monday, October 31, 2005, and concluded with closing statements last week.
Rhode Island was the first state in 1999 to sue members of the lead pigment industry; an earlier trial ended in 2002 with a hung jury. Defendants in the case include NL Industries, Sherwin-Williams, Millennium Holdings and Atlantic Richfield.
Lasting more than three months, the trial included numerous expert witnesses called by the State, including doctors, scientists, and lead experts. The defendants rested without calling any witnesses. Jurors will be asked to decide whether the presence of lead pigment in paint creates a public nuisance in Rhode Island and, if it does, whether the defendants significantly contributed to the nuisance and should be ordered to help fix the problem
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