Sherwin-Williams, NL And ConAgra Ordered To Pay $1.1 Bln To Remove Lead-paint

(RTTNews) - A California Superior Court judge in San Jose on Monday ordered Sherwin-Williams Co. (SHW), NL Industries Inc. (NL) and ConAgra Grocery Products Co. to pay $1.1 billion to remove lead-paint hazards from millions of homes in the state, according to reports.

The Judge James Kleinberg tentatively ruled against the three companies. However, the judge dismissed two other defendants—Chemicals giant EI DuPont De Nemours & Co. (DD) or DuPont and Atlantic Richfield Co., owned by BP Plc. (BP.L, BP_UN.TO, BP)—from the case.

The 13-year-old lawsuit, which was filed by 10 city and county governments in California, sought a court order requiring the defendants—current or former makers or distributors of paint and pigments—to pay to remove lead-paint hazards from homes in Los Angeles County, San Franciso and other places whose local governments joined the legal action.

Responding to Lead Paint Decision, ConAgra Foods Inc. (CAG) said on Monday that it vehemently disagrees with the decision and will appeal. ConAgra Foods said it is absolutely not an appropriate defendant and was never in the paint business. As a food maker who employs thousands of people in California, ConAgra said it believe this case is an unfortunate example of extreme overreach.