Flint, Michigan – Michigan’s long-standing Flint Water Crisis has reached a pivotal moment with the announcement of a significant settlement. Major engineering company Veolia North America has agreed to a $53 million legal settlement to address claims connected to the crisis impacting the Flint community since 2014, as confirmed by Attorney General Dana Nessel.
The settlement seeks to correct the company’s neglect to identify and counsel Flint’s water system on required corrosion control measures. When the city moved its water source from Detroit’s system to the Flint River, this oversight was an important contributing factor to the ensuing water crisis in which thousands were exposed to lead-contaminated water.
Under the terms of the settlement, Veolia will compensate approximately 26,000 plaintiffs, who had been represented by the law firms Levy Konigsberg, LLP, and Napoli Shkolnik PLLC. There are many youngsters among these plaintiffs, who would benefit significantly from the compensation. The State of Michigan will dismiss its separate action against the company in return, therefore ending one of the several court battles resulting from the disaster.
“After years of drawn-out legal battles, this settlement finally closes a chapter for Flint residents,” Nessel said. “While no amount of money can fully repair the damage caused to the Flint community, these funds will provide additional resources to those directly impacted, especially Flint children, by this preventable crisis.”
Involving the State of Michigan, the City of Flint, McLaren Regional Medical Center, and Rowe Professional Services Co., this settlement follows a historic $600+ million announced over five years ago. This earlier settlement remains the largest civil settlement in Michigan’s history, underscoring the gravity of the Flint Water Crisis and the extensive efforts for remediation and compensation.
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Beginning a cost-cutting effort, the Flint Water Crisis started when the city changed its water source in April 2014 without adequately treating the water for corrosion. Lead leached from outdated pipes into the water supply thus caused a public health emergency. Especially for Flint’s youngest, the crisis has long-lasting consequences on the health and well-being of its citizens.
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The latest agreement with Veolia North America is a major step toward addressing the several legal challenges and allowing the community to move forward. The Flint Water official settlement website offers further information on the distribution of the settlement money and other services for the impacted citizens, therefore supporting and updating the community as it recovers from this public health disaster.
More information can be found by visiting the Flint Water official settlement website.