Have you ever turned over a compost pile? The more you dig and the deeper you get into it, the more it smells. I am getting the same whiff as I dig deeper into the Rhode Island Lead Paint litigation.

The first trial against lead paint manufacturers ended in a hung jury in 2002, before the start of the second trial, Patrick Lynch, Rhode Island’s Attorney General, announced that he settled the State’s claims against the DuPont Co. Interestingly,however, it appears that the settlement may not be a ‘‘settlement.’’ Both Lynch and DuPont (DD ) say the deal was not a legal settlement but simply an agreement. Because it is not a settlement, DuPont is not giving money to the state.