City of Columbus, OH Dismisses Lead Paint Lawsuit, with Prejudice

The city of Columbus, Ohio has voluntarily dismissed with prejudice its public nuisance lawsuit against the former manufacturers of lead paint. 

According to a press release issued by Prism Public Affairs, which represents a number of lead paint public nuisance defendants, this action by Columbus "follows a series of significant decisions over the last two years, all of which have rejected public nuisance lawsuits against former manufacturers.  On July 1st, the Rhode Island Supreme Court unanimously rejected a public nuisance lawsuit filed nine years earlier, saying that the claim 'should have been dismissed at the outset.'"

This filing is the last of the 10 city lawsuits in OH to have been voluntarily dismissed or, as with Toledo, rejected by the court.  Still pending in Ohio is the statewide lead paint public nuisance lawsuit filed by former OH Attorney General Marc Dann.