A Flint-related class action lawsuit was filed Monday, demanding damages for people claiming injury from exposure to high levels of lead and other substances in the city's drinking water.
The lawsuit alleges that provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act and the federal Lead and Copper Rule were broken in the Michigan city and also lays out the history of
Flint's water problems, MLive.com reported. In April 2014, the city's water supply was switched to the Flint River and, soon after, residents began complaining about smelly, discolored water.
The "damaging levels" of lead contributed to "physical and psychological injuries, learning and other permanent disabilities, weight loss, stunted growth, as well as emotional distress and loss of income" for children and adults alike, according to the news site.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of seven families affected by the current water crisis, but attorney Hunter Shkolnik stated in court documents that it could grow to an estimated 8,000 young people who may have been exposed to the high lead content in
Flint's water, according to National Public Radio.
The State of Michigan was named in the lawsuit as well as the former emergency managers and former City of Flint and state employees. Ari Adler, a spokesman for Gov. Rick Snyder, told NPR that the governor will not speak on pending litigation.
Snyder is currently fighting off two recall petition sparked by the
Flint water crisis, according to the Detroit Free Press. Flint activist Quincy Murphy filed both petitions, which have been approved by the Board of State Canvassers.
Last week, Snyder hired two outside attorneys to help the state handle the Flint drinking water crisis, including a criminal defense attorney to act as an "investigatory counsel," the newspaper said.
Eugene Driker, a civil defense attorney, and Brian Lennon, a criminal defense attorney, were each hired for about $249,000 through Dec. 31, Adler told the Free Press.
"We retain outside counsel . . . to complement what the attorney general's office is doing," the spokesman said.
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