Michigan Gov. Snyder facing class-action lawsuit over Flint water crisis

FLINT, Mich., April 6 (UPI) -- Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and several defendants are facing a racketeering lawsuit filed by hundreds of residents of Flint, the city still reeling from a lead contamination crisis.

When the city of Flint switched from using the Detroit water supply to using the Flint River in 2014, the river water was more corrosive and led to Flint's lead pipes poisoning the town. Flint returned to using the Detroit system in October, but the toxicity did not end.

The lawsuit accuses Snyder, the city of Flint, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, several companies and multiple local and state officials of switching the water supply to cut costs for the indebted city instead of providing financial relief. Flint was to receive Flint River water as a temporary measure until a new water system could supply the city with treated water from Lake Huron.

"The poisoning of the residents of Flint, Michigan, with toxic drinking water did not originate from a toxic water problem. Rather, the poisoning of the residents of Flint originated from a run of the mill city fiscal problem, which could have been safely addressed by invoking time tested, well-honed federal bankruptcy protections for restructuring the debts of municipalities," the suit says. "However, the State of Michigan and Governor Snyder through their Emergency Managers, did not file bankruptcy petitions for Flint. Instead, they conceived and enacted a wrongful scheme to solve Flint's fiscal problem by selling Flint residents poisoned drinking water from a new, free water source."

Lead toxicity is dangerous for children because it can interfere with the development of the brain and nervous system, and carries other health risks for many organs and systems -- some of which may not be apparent for years after exposure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Officials have estimated that up to 12,000 children have been exposed to the contaminated water.

The lawsuit seeks a trial by jury and payment of damages from physical and property loss and legal fees. It also asks the court to declare Snyder's and the others actions unconstitutional.

Class Action Lawsuit against Gov. Snyder by United Press International