Rhode Island court orders lead remediation following enforcement action by Attorney General and RIDOH

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha has announced a Rhode Island Superior Court judge has ordered the owners of a Providence residential property with long-standing lead violations to begin lead hazard remediation following an enforcement action from the Office of the Attorney General and the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH).

This February 11, Superior Court Justice Linda Rekas Sloan ordered Regent Place, LLC and Robert Riccardi to hire professionals to clean up the lead hazard within seven days of the court order.

The court also ordered that the defendants move their tenants to temporary housing during the cleanup, as well as pay for daily meal costs while the tenants are displaced.

“Far too many children are lead poisoned due to the presence of lead paint in and around their homes every year, and far too many landlords fail to do what they are required to do by law, which is to take action in response. Those landlords in many instances have repeatedly blown off Department of Health orders to remediate their rental properties,” said Attorney General Neronha. “Since this Office began our unprecedented lead paint enforcement initiative last year, these landlords are being hauled into court and forced to take action, as happened here. I am grateful to the Court for its quick and decisive action. Child safety has taken priority, and that is a win for all Rhode Islanders.”

In November 2021, the Lead Advocate of the Office of the Attorney General filed an enforcement action in court to clean up the lead hazard after two children were poisoned. After a reinspection in December 2021 confirmed the lead hazards were still there. The defendants have yet to address the lead hazard violations in the building, which was built in 1910.

“Every child in every home in Rhode Island deserves to be safe from lead paint poisoning,” said Attorney General Neronha. “This Office will continue to stand up for children and hold these landlords accountable. The law requires them to do the right thing. We’ll make sure they do.”

This follows a separate incident against two RI landlords following cases of child lead poisoning. In addition to these recent actions, The Attorney General and RIDOH also issued guidance to cities and towns to support local housing code enforcement officers and how they can help prevent lead poisoning.