The city of New Haven has reached a settlement over a class-action lawsuit that said the city wasn’t enforcing its lead paint inspection program.
The lawsuit dates back to the previous mayor’s administration — attorneys say the city didn’t do the inspections required by its own laws, and it didn’t issue abatement orders when it found elevated blood lead levels in kids.
Attorney Amy Marx represented 30 New Haven families in the suit.
“Based on what we have seen in individual families, we concluded that hundreds of children in New Haven were exposed by toxic lead paint hazards, and the city simply was not doing its job to protect them, as required by city and state law,” Marx said.
Mayor Justin Elicker said the city has hired more workers and put millions of dollars toward improving its lead inspection program. The settlement still needs to go through the city’s housing court and be approved by a state judge.
