Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge James Kleinberg’s ruling gave plaintiffs more leverage entering a court-led settlement conference Friday. But lawyers indicated talks were unsuccessful, so a trial could happen later this year.
The 10 cities and counties that sued the Atlantic Richfield Co., or ARCO; NL Industries Inc.; DuPont Co. and The Sherwin-Williams Co. more than a decade ago in People v. Atlantic Richfield seek $947 million in cleanup costs an amount they say is necessary to remove the hazard of white lead from about 500,000 homes built before 1980 and scattered throughout California.
