D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine sues D.C. landlord for exposing tenants to lead paint

Washington Attorney General Karl A. Racine is suing the landlord of a Southeast apartment building for exposing tenants to toxic lead paint.

The Office of the Attorney General filed a suit against Starkoda Plummer, owner of 3911 R St. SE, for failure to remove lead-based paint peeling from the window sills and walls in the apartments and for failing to pay penalties from the District, according to a press release from the office.

The apartment building has four units, one of which Ms. Plummer lives in.

“This irresponsible landlord ignored District law and endangered families by exposing them to toxic lead for far too long,” Mr. Racine said in the press release. “The Office of the Attorney General will use its enforcement authority to hold property owners accountable if they fail to live up to their obligation to provide safe, lead-free housing to their tenants.”

The attorney general’s office alleges that Ms. Plummer violated the District’s Lead Hazard Act, which requires all buildings built before 1978 to be free of lead based paint.

The law gives the Department of Environment and Energy the authority to perform investigations of suspected lead paint hazards and determines how the property owner should eliminate the hazard.

When the property owner does not comply, the DOEE refers the matter to the Office of the Attorney General.

Since 2017, the DOEE has received complaints of chipping paint at the R Street building and through testing confirmed that the paint is lead-based. As of June, Ms. Plummer has not taken action to remove the lead paint, according to the release.

Sources at the apartment said the landlord has been working to maintain the property, but she has had some trouble holding a job to pay for it.

Efforts to contact Ms. Plummer didn’t succeed.

In addition to a court order requiring Ms. Plummer to remove the lead, the attorney general’s office is seeking up to cover $25,000 in DOEE investigative costs and to pay for every day the issue hasn’t been resolved. This is on top of the $10,000 in fines Ms. Plummer has failed to pay.

Lead is a toxic metal that can cause organ and brain damage. In children, lead exposure can cause permanent problems such as learning disabilities, developmental delays and behavioral issues.