On January 30, over 1,700 Flint, Michigan residents filed a new lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Michigan seeking class action status to recover damages stemming from lead contamination in Flint drinking water system. The lawsuit targets EPA and seeks over $700 million in damages and joins the long list of existing lawsuits related to the Flint crisis already making their way through the courts.
One of those other cases, a 2015 class action lawsuit filed against Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and other local and state officials was dismissed by a federal judge on February 2. The judge in the 2015 case ruled that the Safe Drinking Water Act held precedence and limits judgments to the correction of issues and prevention of future damages. Plaintiffs in the case are pledging to appeal the decision.
The variety of lawsuits in play related to the Flint crisis continue to explore many different legal arguments. At this time it is not clear which, if any of the legal approaches will prevail.