MICHIGAN (Transatlantic Today) – In a civil action related to the Flint water crisis, a federal judge in Michigan’s Eastern District Court said she will wait to determine whether former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and 4 others would have to testify in front of a jury.
Attorneys for Snyder, his former staffer Rich Baird, Howard Croft, the former director of Flint’s Public works Department, and former emergency managers Darnell Early and Gerald Ambrose presented their cases to U.S. District Court Judge Judith Levy in a motion hearing Tuesday to thwart subpoenas issued by the state to their clients, according to ABC NEWS.
On Jan. 14, 2021, nine former state executives were charged on 42 counts of crimes linked to the Flint water crisis, also including Snyder, who is accused of 2 misdemeanor counts of willful negligence of duty, which he denies. Croft was accused of wilfully ignoring his responsibilities. Felony accusations of extortion, perjury, governmental misconduct, and obstruction of justice were filed against Baird. Ambrose and Earley were accused with multiple charges of official misconduct.
Former state authorities have pleaded not guilty to their charges and might be called as witnesses in a civil case involving two engineering firms.
Before they were accused, the 5 defendants responded to questions in filmed depositions taken in 2020. While the taped depositions may be played in front of a jury in the civil lawsuit against Veolia North America (VAN) and Lockwood, Andrews & Newman (LAN), their lawyers claimed that they should not be forced to testify further to avoid possible incrimination.
Four children who have been exposed to lead pollution as a result of Flint’s polluted drinking water are suing Veolia North America and Lockwood, Andrews & Newman, 2 hired engineering firms that examined the city’s water supply. According to the complaint, the engineering companies engaged in professional negligence by failing to effectively advise municipal authorities and failing to guarantee that the water drawn from the Flint River was treated properly. Both VNA and LAN deny any misconduct, blaming the lead poisoning on the city’s and state’s cost-cutting measures.
Last year’s $626 million settlement case including damage claims against the city of Flint, the state of Michigan, McLaren Flint Hospital, and Rowe Professional Services did not include the engineering companies.
The corporations’ possible liability will be tested in this current trial, which might have an impact on other outstanding lawsuits. The civil trial began on February 28 and is likely to last several weeks.
