Jury Awards Nearly $21 Million to Victim of Lead Poisoning

A Baltimore jury has awarded a 23-year-old woman nearly $21 Million in a lawsuit brought aginst the Baltimore Housing Authority for lead poisoning she suffered while living in an apartment owned and operated by the Authority. The jury awarded $825,000 in economic losses and $20 million in non-economic losses. The non-economic losses will likely be reduced because Maryland has a $350,000 cap on non-economic damages. The Plaintiff in the case suffered a loss of at least 10 IQ points from the lead poisoning, which made her of below average intelligence. Lead poisoning is known to cause a decrease in IQ as well as other injuries.

Brady and O'Shea previously brought a case against the City of Cedar Rapids based on lead poisoning that had occurred while a child was residing in a property that had previously been inspected for lead by the Cedar Rapids Housing Department because the property owner received Section 8 housing assistance. The case was resolved through a confidential settlement.