PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Three former lead paint manufacturers are asking a judge to strike down a $2.4 billion cleanup plan requested by the state.
If the plan stands, Sherwin-Williams Company, NL Industries, Incorporated, and Millennium Holdings LLC would have to clean up roughly 240,000 homes believed to contain toxic lead paint.
A Superior Court judge has scheduled a hearing in the case for Friday.
The state won a landmark lawsuit last year against the companies, which were found liable for creating a public nuisance.
But the companies say the cleanup plan has major legal problems and want it eliminated or altered. For example, the companies say they shouldn't be forced to clean up individual homes when the state presented no evidence at trial identifying which properties were contaminated.
