Legal Aid Society sues Cleveland on behalf of toddler, asks court to make city follow lead poisoning laws

The city has, for more than six months, failed to protect a toddler it knew was harmed by lead hazards in her West Side rental home, according to the lawsuit.

News Story (Ohio)

Rachel Dissell, Brie Zeltner
Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH)
May 18, 2017
READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Tags: Lead Poisoning

Organizations mentioned/involved: Legal Aid Society of Cleveland


DETAILS

Legal Aid filed the lawsuit on behalf of the toddler and her parents, who moved into their rental home last April. Several months later, in October, blood tests showed the child was poisoned at a level that required the city to investigate.

The city, hundreds of times, has delayed — by months or years — issuing orders to clean up lead hazards or failed to follow up to make sure homes were remediated, according to the complaint. It also did not place warning signs or prohibit families from living in homes it knew were dangerous for children and pregnant women.

As of May 12, 43 homes inspected by Cleveland and Ohio Department of Health officials were required to have the posted warning signs.