Washington, D.C. – Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) Executive Director Lindsey de la Torre issued the following statement in response to the amicus brief filed in the U.S. Supreme Court by a coalition of national trade associations and legal reform organizations in ConAgra Grocery Products Company, et al. v. The People of the State of California. The lawsuit seeks to overturn a billion dollar judgment holding paint manufacturers liable for removing lead paint from private homes where it was lawfully sold and applied decades ago:

“The national implications of this lawsuit are underscored in the brief filed today by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review this case and overturn a major, unsound departure in liability law. Manufacturers are standing up against this concerning trend of baseless lawsuits seeking to impose massive legal liability on manufacturers through the expansion of so-called “public nuisance” lawsuits.

“The stakes are high. If the Supreme Court does not provide a course correction, manufacturers will face even more lawsuits seeking massive and unprincipled liability. Already, this misuse of tort law has inspired several other public nuisance cases, putting manufacturing jobs at risk in order to line the pockets of trial lawyers.

“The Court should hear the case and help shut the door on this baseless litigation.  These types of lawsuits undermine the fairness of our nation’s legal system, our manufacturing base and our economy.”

–MAP–

The Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) will set the record straight and highlight the coordinated campaign by trial lawyers and public officials who have sought to undermine and weaken manufacturers in the United States. The MAP will hold key actors accountable in order to protect our members and American manufacturing workers. The MAP is a project of the NAM’s Manufacturers’ Center for Legal Action (MCLA), which serves as the leading voice of manufacturers in the nation’s courts. Visit us at www.mfgaccountabilityproject.org.