The deal is intended to resolve all legal actions against the state for its role in a disaster that made the impoverished, majority-Black city a symbol of governmental mismanagement.
The state of Michigan announced Thursday it has agreed to pay $600 million to Flint residents whose health was afflicted by lead-tainted drinking water in a crisis that spurred a class-action lawsuit and became emblematic of how poorer, majority-Black communities can suffer under government mismanagement.
The offices of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel said they have been negotiating for more than 18 months with lawyers for thousands of Flint residents who have filed suits against the state in the wake of the scandal, which began in April 2014.
Whitmer, a Democrat who took office last year, said in a statement that the money may still not be enough in some people’s minds and “many will still feel justifiable frustration with a system and structure that at times is not adequate to fully address what has happened to people in Flint over the last six years.”
She added that “healing Flint will take a long time, but our ongoing efforts and today’s settlement announcement are important steps in helping all of us move forward.”
Nessel, a Democrat, said the majority of the settlement would go toward resolving claims that benefit children, who were found through testing to have elevated lead levels in their blood. Exposure to lead can cause behavior problems and learning disabilities in young children, health officials warned.
Under the deal, the state is establishing the $600 million fund and Flint residents can file claims for compensation. The amount awarded per applicant would be based on how badly they were harmed.
It calls for devoting 80 percent of the money to people who were younger than 18 during the period when Flint was using river water, Nessel said. Read More
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