Milk-Based Paint Left Indelible Stench, Suit Says

Milk-based paint used to spruce up an apartment went sour, leaving an odor so strong that it forced a family to move out and throw away most of their clothes, according to a lawsuit.

The suit was filed in Alameda County Superior Court by Berkeley City Council member Nancy Skinner. The defendants include Auro Co. of Braunschweig, Germany, the manufacturer; the Sinan Co. of Davis, the distributor, and the Berkeley Ecology Center, which sold the paint to Skinner.

The personal injury suit filed Monday on behalf of Skinner and her 11-year-old daughter, Sirona, seeks an unspecified amount of damages for lost wages, medical expenses and property damage.

Skinner, who did not seek reelection, said nothing would get rid of the odor, including replacing the walls and repainting them with synthetic-based paint.

Earlier efforts included scrubbing the walls with bleach and hydrogen peroxide, and repainting with latex paint.