Court Scraps Key Lead-Paint Verdict

The Rhode Island Supreme Court unanimously overturned a landmark verdict against three former manufacturers of lead paint, damaging a novel legal argument used by government prosecutors to get companies to help pay for lead clean-up costs.

In a 4-0 decision, the state high court reversed a 2006 jury verdict that would have forced NL Industries Inc., Sherwin-Williams Co. and Millennium Holdings LLC to remove lead pigment from all child-accessible Rhode Island buildings -- including schools and day-care centers -- and to fund educational and lead-prevention programs. The state had estimated costs of the remediation at $2.4 billion.

The Rhode Island ...