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Federal judge dismisses Flint water crisis lawsuit; attorney calls it "a minor setback"

steve carmody
/
Michigan Radio

Today, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit related to the Flint water crisis. 

The suit named Governor Rick Snyder, Flint’s former emergency managers, other state and local officials, as well as the state of Michigan and the city of Flint. Specific monetary damages were not included.

The lawsuit sought damages under federal civil rights law. However, U.S. District Judge John Corbett O’Meara ruled that the Safe Drinking Water Act superseded that law in the case of Flint’s lead-tainted tap water.

Attorney Michael Pitt disagrees with the judge’s decision, calling it “a minor delay, in a very long process.”

“We’re optimistic this setback is only a minor setback,” Pitt said after the ruling was released. “It will get corrected by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals.”

The governor’s office had no comment on the ruling.

This is just one of dozens of lawsuits filed, in state and federal courts, by Flint residents and others affected by the city’s lead-tainted tap water.  

Copyright 2017 Michigan Radio

Steve Carmody has been a reporter for Michigan Radio since 2005. Steve previously worked at public radio and television stations in Florida, Oklahoma and Kentucky, and also has extensive experience in commercial broadcasting. During his two and a half decades in broadcasting, Steve has won numerous awards, including accolades from the Associated Press and Radio and Television News Directors Association. Away from the broadcast booth, Steve is an avid reader and movie fanatic. Q&A