Local News Chicago Housing Authority ordered to pay more than $24 million in damages for two children’s lead poisoning

CHICAGO (CBS) — The Chicago Housing Authority has been ordered to pay more than $24 million in damages to the family of two children who allegedly suffered poisoning from lead paint in their apartment in Rogers Park.

Shanna Jordan sued the CHA on behalf of her son Jah’mir Collins, now 10; and Jordan’s daughter, Morgan Collins, sued the CHA on behalf of her daughter, Amiah McGee-Collins, now 6, claiming the agency knew their apartment at 7715 N. Marshfield Av. had lead-based paint, and that their children suffered from “severe lead poisoning” after living in the home, according to their lawsuit.

“This case cried out for justice. For decades there has been a comprehensive federal regulatory regime that is intended to prevent children from being lead poisoned in the first place. The reason is clear, lead poisoning causes irreversible damage to children that causes lifelong problems. What happened to these children was completely avoidable if only the CHA had followed the law,” the family’s attorney, Matthew Sims, said in a statement.

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Jah’mir Collins (left) and Amiah McGee-Collins (right) suffered “severe lead poisoning” from lead-based paint in their Chicago Housing Authority apartment in Rogers Park, according to a lawsuit filed by their family. A jury awarded them more than $24 million in damages.Family photos

The family’s attorneys have said both children were born healthy, but both developed health problems in 2019 – with Jah’mir showing signs of hyperactivity and Amiah having trouble drinking from a cup and walking into objects.

Both children later were found to have elevated blood lead levels (BLL). Amiah’s BLL was measured as high as 34 micrograms per deciliter, and Jah’mir’s as high as 13 micrograms per deciliter. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention uses a blood lead level of 3.5 micrograms per deciliter to identify children with blood lead levels that are higher than most children’s levels.

The lawsuit claimed that the CHA was aware of lead-based paint in the building as early as 1992, and faced code violations from the city in 2001 for unsafe conditions due to lead-based paint, according to the lawsuit.

Environmental Design International conducted an inspection in the apartment, and found the presence of lead-based paint on the premises, but afterward the CHA continued to tell the family that it had no knowledge of lead-based paint in the apartment.

The family’s attorneys claimed at least three other children suffered from lead poisoning while living in the same apartment in the 1990s, but CHA did nothing to remove the lead-based paint.

After a trial that began in December, a jury on Wednesday found the CHA liable for the children’s injuries, including past and future damages for medical care. Jurors awarded a total of $24,141,000 in damages – $20,641,000 to Amiah, and $3,500,000 to Jah’mir.

The family also sued Habitat Company, which managed the building from 2016 to 2019, and East Lake Management Group, which managed the building from 2019 to 2022, but the jury in the case found they were not liable for the children’s injuries.

Environmental Design International also was named as a defendant in the family’s lawsuit, and settled with the plaintiffs in 2024 – agreeing to a $100,000 settlement with Amiah and $50,000 with Jah’mir, according to court records.

 

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