PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha has sued landlords in Pawtucket and Woonsocket for “significant lead hazards” that led to the poisoning of two children.
The Pawtucket rental property is located on Garden Street and was found to have multiple violations inside and outside the three-unit home, according to the AG’s office.
The R.I. Department of Health (RIDOH) inspected the property after a child living there suffered lead poisoning. The AG’s office said the owner was issued two warnings and took no action to remediate the hazards.
The owners of a multi-family home on Ward Street in Woonsocket were also sued for noncompliance after a child got lead poisoning. Violations were found inside and outside the building, according to the AG’s office, and the owners failed to resolve the issues after two warnings.
The AG’s office said it is seeking a court order to require the landlords to address the hazards and provide suitable housing for their tenants while that work is conducted. The order would also appoint a receiver if the landlords are unwilling to do so and issue fines of up to $5,000 for each day the violations have existed and continue.
“We will continue to take landlords to court who fail to remediate lead hazards in the apartments they rent following the lead poisoning of a child,” Neronha said.
