Magistrate Judge OKs Routine Maintenance of Lead Cables in Homeowners’ Suit

U.S. Magistrate Judge David Ayo for Western Louisiana in Lafayette granted the joint stipulated motion of plaintiff homeowners Gary Blum and Lucia Billiot and AT&T, Lumen and Verizon to let the defendants conduct routine maintenance on the telecom cables that are at issue in their litigation (see 2404220007), including lead-covered cables, said Ayo’s signed order Wednesday (docket 6:23-cv-01748). The actions that the carriers take in the course of conducting such routine maintenance “shall proceed in the ordinary course without any new or additional documentation or other measures required” of the defendants, said the order. The complaint is believed to be one of the first class actions brought by individual homeowners against the telecom industry on grounds that the industry’s legacy lead-laden cables reduced their property values (see [Ref:2312140001).