Metro

Judge: De Blasio must face NYCHA lead poisoning lawsuit

A Manhattan federal judge Tuesday rejected Mayor de Blasio’s effort to wiggle out of a lawsuit that seeks to hold him responsible for the lead-paint scandal rocking the city’s public housing authority.

Judge William Pauley ruled that de Blasio must face the suit alleging that NYCHA poisoned children through repeated failures to fix dangerous lead-paint conditions in its apartments — and then lied to federal regulators about required inspections.

“Today, I am proud that our justice system recognized [that] even the highest city officials can be held accountable,” said Sherron Paige, who is suing NYCHA on behalf of her son K.D., 5, who has been diagnosed with lead poisoning. The suit says K.D. was exposed to lead dust after NYCHA left a gaping hole in the wall of Paige’s apartment for almost a year.

“It is a beautiful day for NYCHA residents and for all residents of New York City,” said Paige, a resident of the Red Hook Houses East in Brooklyn.

Lawyers for Paige and the other parents called Pauley’s ruling “a big win.”

“We’re about to steamroll them with discovery requests so that we can pursue a case as quickly as possible so that it can go to a jury,” lawyer Corey Stern told The Post.

Pauley also denied requests by other city and ex-NYCHA officials to be removed from the suit — including Deputy Mayors Alicia Glenn and Herminia Palacio, and disgraced ex-NYCHA Chairwoman Shola Olatoye.

Olatoye resigned in April amid questions over a 2017 Department of Investigation report that concluded she personally falsified reports to federal officials about NYCHA’s failures to conduct mandatory lead-paint inspections.

The judge rejected city lawyers’ argument that de Blasio and other city officials shouldn’t be held responsible for NYCHA because it is a separate entity.

“Under New York Public Housing Law, NYCHA’s chairperson and board members are appointed by the mayor and serve at his pleasure,” the judge noted.

He also pointed to the city’s June settlement with US Attorney Geoffrey Berman, which had the city coughing up billions to fix dangerous living conditions.

“Certainly, the city’s political decision to stand behind NYCHA in the federal enforcement action demonstrates a unity of interests between NYCHA and the city worthy of further exploration,” the judge said.

A spokesman for the city Law Department said, “We are disappointed the city was not dismissed from this lawsuit.”