Flint Class-Action Lawsuit Over Lead-Tainted Water Can Proceed

The Michigan Supreme Court has ruled that a a class-action lawsuit filed by Flint residents affected by the water crisis can move forward. The lawsuit targets officials over decisions that caused the lead to leach from aging pipes after the city switched its water source to the Flint River.

The ruling is a key procedural step in long-running litigation that now goes back to the Court of Claims. Flint residents can now pursue a claim of diminished property values and a violation of bodily integrity.

Michigan Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein said the case raises “some of the most disturbing allegations of malfeasance by government actors in Michigan’s history.“