Two Maryland siblings that were in line to receive over $2 million from the city of Baltimore as a result of a personal injury lawsuit will not get the money after all, according to a judge with the state's Court of Special Appeals.

Before this most recent ruling, a jury awarded the 21-year-old man and his 20-year-old sister the award for being poisoned by lead paint that was in their public residence. The poisoning happened back in the early 1990s in two homes that were tied in with Baltimore's public housing program. They targeted the Housing Authority of Baltimore in the personal injury case.

The duo's actions fell in line with what is required of victims in lead paint litigation. Victims who were poisoned by the harmful substance in a home owned by a private landlord have until they are 21-years-old to file a suit. However, the laws are a little different when dealing with government housing.

A Maryland statute states that in cases of personal injury involving government agencies, the victim must file a claim within 180 days of their injury. The siblings filed their initial complaint as teenagers, but it did not fall within this time period. The Court of Special Appeals judge used that as the deciding factor in eliminating their rights to the monetary damages. Two appellate court judges agreed with the decision. Some argue that this is not fair, because the Housing Authority acts as a private landlord in these types of living arrangements.

Both individuals were originally awarded $1.3 million in 2010, but the Court of Special Appeals judge said the trial court should not have granted an exception to the 180-day statute.

A lawyer for the siblings said he would request a review by the Court of Appeals and continue fighting for the rights of his clients. Meanwhile, the Housing Authority said it would work hard to address the problem, but should not be held responsible for unfounded accusations.

Source: The Baltimore Sun, "Court reverses $2.6M lead paint judgments again city housing authority," Steve Kilar, Jan. 19, 2012