Judge Declares Mistrial in Flint Water Case Against Engineers Veolia, LAN
Judge Declares Mistrial in Flint Water Case Against Engineers Veolia, LAN
Abstract
August 11, 2022 James Leggate KEYWORDS Flint water crisis / Lockwood, Andrews, Newnam / Veolia Order Reprints No Comments A jury tasked with finding whether two engineering firms that worked for Flint, Mich., are partially to blame for the city's lead-tainted drinking water crisis in 2014 and 2015 was unable to reach a unanimous decision, prompting a judge to declare a mistrial in what was seen as a bellwether case. The plaintiffs said the engineering firms failed to prevent corrosive water from causing lead to leach from pipes into drinking water systems, and alleged that drinking that water caused neuro-cognitive injuries in four children. Moshe Maimon, an attorney representing the families of children who allegedly suffered neuro-cognitive injuries as a result of drinking lead-tainted water, asked Grand to interview jurors individually about the case and what physical or mental health issues they were facing by continuing to deliberate, citing cases that dealt with jurors who were mentally or emotionally unstable. Flint's drinking water crisis began after the city switched its water source from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Dept. The city's water treatment plant lacked the necessary processes to prevent corrosive water from reaching lead pipes, causing lead to leach into drinking water. The two firms were not part of the earlier $625-million settlement related to Flint's lead water contamination and its resulting problems. Flint later hired Veolia in 2015 to review issues at its water treatment plant other than lead, and its employees also said they recommended a corrosion control study which would have revealed the need to address the issue.