Judge Rules Lawsuit Against Michigan for Dam Failures Can Move Forward

The lawsuit against the state of Michigan regarding the Edenville and Sanford dam failures in May 2020 will move forward after a ruling by the Michigan Court of Claims.

The civil lawsuit was brought by hundreds of flood victims. On October 27, Judge Douglas Shapiro criticized the state for continued attempts to delay the case. Shapiro noted in the three years since the case was filed, “no discovery has occurred due to the defendant’s repeated, time-consuming, and unsuccessful attempts to obtain appellate reversal of this Court’s June 29, 2021 order, which denied in part the defendant’s motion for summary disposition.”

Judge Shapiro has directed both parties to collaborate on creating a timeline for the case, with the aim of achieving a fair and expedited process for evidence gathering. If an agreement cannot be reached, the plaintiff and defense must each submit their proposals for a timeline to the court by Friday.