[/caption]Carol Forsloff - New Orleans--A recent press release highlights a court order for notification of a public housing group about a proposed settlement of $65 million. This relates to a long-standing public protest about children who had been exposed to lead while living in public housing prior to 2001.
Insurance companies for defendants have areed to a settlement of $65,520,174.19 in restitution for damages to as many as 10,000 or more children, as observed in the original complaint. The settlement funds include lawyer fees and other expenses.
Billieson v. City of New Orleans, et al, No. 94-19231, is the lawsuit that had been initiated with the claim that public housing units contained lead that many children had been exposed to for years, causing hearing, physical, cognitive and behavioral problems. Some had received permanent brain damage from the exposure to lead poisoning.
Defeandants protest they did nothing wrong, and the notification is said not to imply guilt in this case just because a settlement has been reached.
The lawsuit includes individuals who were in the following housing units before 2001: "Iberville, Florida, Lafitte, B.W. Cooper, St. Bernard, Desire, Guste, Fischer, St. Thomas, or C.J. Peete/Magnolia public housing units and either: (a) filed a lawsuit against HANO and/or C.J. Brown Property Management, Inc., C.J. Brown Public Housing, Inc. and/or Ventana Property Management, Inc., Ventana Public Housing Management, Inc. and/or the City of New Orleans saying that they were hurt from exposure to lead at one of the HANO public housing developments; or (b) have or can get medical documents or other evidence showing they were lead poisoned, specifically a document that shows they had an elevated blood lead level of 10 micrograms per deciliter of whole blood, or higher, when they were six years old or younger and they were born on or after December 12, 1987."
Notices are advising individuals of the dates to file, when legal rights will be mailed, and when claim forms will be provided.
A toll-free number, 1-888-768-2043, is provided along with the following website address, www.HanoLeadSettlements.com.
New Orleans example is used in articles about the risks of lead paint poisoning, as in this essay which examines the results of research done by Tulane University in New Orleans discussing the high levels of lead poisoning, especially among groups of poor children who live in substandard conditions.
One source explains the reason why New Orleans appears to have a high rate of lead poisoning. The reasons cited include the fact New Orleans is an old city with many buildings that have needed remodeling, with the consequence that some toxic substances are released as a result. In addition, New Orleans has a hot, humid climate that is conducive to mold as well as the build up of lead.