Flint Moves to Sue Michigan Over Water Contamination Fallout
Though no lawsuit yet, city places onus on state officials for decisions that ultimately caused lead poisoning of community residents
Flint has made moves to sue the state of Michigan, citing "grossly negligent oversight" that led to the city's ongoing water contamination crisis.
The city filed a notice of intent to sue with the Court of Claims on March 24, and it was reported on by various Michigan news outlets on Friday.
It names the state, the Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), and four MDEQ employees as defendants.
Flint mayor Karen Weaver wrote in the notice of intention to file claim, which the Flint Journal has posted here (pdf), that "the damage to the water system infrastructure caused by the MDEQ employees' grossly negligent oversight is irreversible."
"The City made its decision to switch its water source to the Flint River from April 2014 through October 2015 in reliance on the authorizations, directions, and advice given by the MDEQ. As a direct and proximate result, the City has suffered or will suffer damage to its municipal water distribution system, emergency response costs arising out of the declaration of a state of emergency, attendant ongoing medical claims," and other damages, Weaver wrote, "which are or will be the subject of legal and equitable claims against the City and it [sic] current and former employees."
Currently, no actual lawsuit has begun, but as Weaver explained, she had to keep the possibility of one open.
"I have no intention at this point of having the City of Flint sue the state. However, the City of Flint would have forfeited its right to file a lawsuit in the future if I had not filed an official 'Notice of Intention to File a Claim' by the March 25 deadline. As the elected leader of Flint, I needed to preserve the city's right to pursue a legal remedy if it is determined a lawsuit is necessary in the future," a statement from Weaver reads.
On top of this potential suit, the Wall Street Journal reported last month, "At least a dozen lawsuits have been filed in federal, state and local courts on behalf of Flint residents, with several seeking class-action status. Some suits name Gov. Snyder, state environmental regulators, the former Flint mayor or the city's past emergency managers as defendants."
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just two days to go in our Spring Campaign, we're falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Flint has made moves to sue the state of Michigan, citing "grossly negligent oversight" that led to the city's ongoing water contamination crisis.
The city filed a notice of intent to sue with the Court of Claims on March 24, and it was reported on by various Michigan news outlets on Friday.
It names the state, the Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), and four MDEQ employees as defendants.
Flint mayor Karen Weaver wrote in the notice of intention to file claim, which the Flint Journal has posted here (pdf), that "the damage to the water system infrastructure caused by the MDEQ employees' grossly negligent oversight is irreversible."
"The City made its decision to switch its water source to the Flint River from April 2014 through October 2015 in reliance on the authorizations, directions, and advice given by the MDEQ. As a direct and proximate result, the City has suffered or will suffer damage to its municipal water distribution system, emergency response costs arising out of the declaration of a state of emergency, attendant ongoing medical claims," and other damages, Weaver wrote, "which are or will be the subject of legal and equitable claims against the City and it [sic] current and former employees."
Currently, no actual lawsuit has begun, but as Weaver explained, she had to keep the possibility of one open.
"I have no intention at this point of having the City of Flint sue the state. However, the City of Flint would have forfeited its right to file a lawsuit in the future if I had not filed an official 'Notice of Intention to File a Claim' by the March 25 deadline. As the elected leader of Flint, I needed to preserve the city's right to pursue a legal remedy if it is determined a lawsuit is necessary in the future," a statement from Weaver reads.
On top of this potential suit, the Wall Street Journal reported last month, "At least a dozen lawsuits have been filed in federal, state and local courts on behalf of Flint residents, with several seeking class-action status. Some suits name Gov. Snyder, state environmental regulators, the former Flint mayor or the city's past emergency managers as defendants."
Flint has made moves to sue the state of Michigan, citing "grossly negligent oversight" that led to the city's ongoing water contamination crisis.
The city filed a notice of intent to sue with the Court of Claims on March 24, and it was reported on by various Michigan news outlets on Friday.
It names the state, the Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), and four MDEQ employees as defendants.
Flint mayor Karen Weaver wrote in the notice of intention to file claim, which the Flint Journal has posted here (pdf), that "the damage to the water system infrastructure caused by the MDEQ employees' grossly negligent oversight is irreversible."
"The City made its decision to switch its water source to the Flint River from April 2014 through October 2015 in reliance on the authorizations, directions, and advice given by the MDEQ. As a direct and proximate result, the City has suffered or will suffer damage to its municipal water distribution system, emergency response costs arising out of the declaration of a state of emergency, attendant ongoing medical claims," and other damages, Weaver wrote, "which are or will be the subject of legal and equitable claims against the City and it [sic] current and former employees."
Currently, no actual lawsuit has begun, but as Weaver explained, she had to keep the possibility of one open.
"I have no intention at this point of having the City of Flint sue the state. However, the City of Flint would have forfeited its right to file a lawsuit in the future if I had not filed an official 'Notice of Intention to File a Claim' by the March 25 deadline. As the elected leader of Flint, I needed to preserve the city's right to pursue a legal remedy if it is determined a lawsuit is necessary in the future," a statement from Weaver reads.
On top of this potential suit, the Wall Street Journal reported last month, "At least a dozen lawsuits have been filed in federal, state and local courts on behalf of Flint residents, with several seeking class-action status. Some suits name Gov. Snyder, state environmental regulators, the former Flint mayor or the city's past emergency managers as defendants."