Syracuse Landlord Pledges to Repair 19 Houses Following Lead Paint Settlement that Poisoned 11 Children

A landlord in Syracuse has made an agreement to remediate 19 rental properties found to be contaminated with lead paint. The landlord, Todd Hobbs, will also compensate each of 11 children who were poisoned by lead while living in his rental properties with $5,000. The settlement, reached with the state Attorney General’s Office following a lawsuit for repeated lead violations, will see Hobbs pay a total of $175,000.

As per the settlement agreement, of the total sum to be paid, $120,000 will be used for remediating the affected homes. The remediation efforts will be overseen by a third-party monitor approved by the Attorney General’s office. The remaining $55,000 will go towards restitution to the 11 children who suffered from the lead-paint contamination.

Since 2016, Hobbs’s company, TLH Holdings, has received 165 interior and 248 exterior lead paint related citations for violations across 19 properties. This staggering number of violations led to the Attorney General’s lawsuit filed in July of last year. Additionally, this is the second recent case involving landlord lead-paint violations in Syracuse. A similar settlement was sought with another landlord, William D’Angelo, pertaining to lead contamination in his properties.

The Attorney General’s settlements with both Hobbs and D’Angelo contain a unique condition. Both landlords are prohibited from selling their affected properties until the hazards associated with lead contamination have been addressed. This novel approach adopted by the Attorney General’s office reflects a shift in strategy. Past attempts at dealing with such violations included forcing landlords out of the rental business. However, this approach did not effectively resolve the lead paint problem present in the properties.

Exposure to lead paint can have detrimental effects on children, leading to growth issues, behavioural problems and compromised learning ability. Other health hazards include anemia, kidney damage, and hearing loss. These settlements aim to protect future tenants from these severe health risks. Consequently, until the lead contamination issues are rectified, Hobbs will be barred from selling or getting rid of any of his properties which have unrepaired lead-paint violations.