State Board Prevents Flint From Suing Over Water Crisis
What recourse does the city of Flint have with the state of Michigan?
The city of Flint was recently considering suing the state of Michigan for the water crisis in the city. But the state advisory board that still oversees the city of Flint after the removal the emergency manager voted to prevent the city from filing that lawsuit. How is that possible, and what recourse does the city have when it comes to this government-created catastrophe?
Paul Egan of the Detroit Free Press reports:
The controversy began March 24, when Flint filed a notice of intent to sue the State of Michigan in the Court of Claims. At the time, [Mayor Karen] Weaver and other city officials said they had no plans to sue the state but had to take the action to reserve the city’s rights, should city leaders later determine a need to sue the state over the lead contamination of Flint’s drinking water. Under state court rules, the city had 180 days from the time it became aware of a potential claim to file the notice or it would lose the right to sue in the future, city officials said, and March 24 was the 180th day.
State officials, who at the time were considering $165 million in state aid requests for Flint over the water crisis, on top of about $67 million already approved, were furious about the notice.
House Speaker Kevin Cotter, R-Mt. Pleasant, said “a reckless lawsuit could throw the state budget into disarray and undermine everything we’ve done for the city.”
To hear more from Egan on Detroit Today, click on the audio player above.
