Veolia Settles With Michigan Over Flint Water Crisis for $53M

Consulting engineering agency Veolia North America has agreed to a $53-million civil settlement associated to steer contamination within the water provide of town of Flint, Mich., the state Legal professional Normal’s workplace introduced February 21. 

Boston-based Veolia NA was employed as an engineering advisor after town of Flint switched water sources from Detroit-supplied Lake Huron water to that of the Flint River in 2014. Water distribution pipes started to corrode after the change and lead and different contaminants had been leached into municipal consuming water. The lawsuit being settled was filed on behalf of 26,000 people who had been impacted by the lead-contaminated water.
Michigan Legal professional Normal Dana Nessel mentioned in an announcement the state will dismiss its separate lawsuit towards the corporate. The Legal professional Normal’s assertion mentioned the $53 million shall be distributed among the many plaintiffs, together with households the place each adults and youngsters had been uncovered to the lead-contaminated water. 

“Whereas no sum of money can totally restore the harm brought on to the Flint group, these funds will present further assets to these straight impacted, particularly Flint kids, by this preventable disaster,” Legal professional Normal Nessel mentioned within the assertion.

Veolia NA, in its assertion, mentioned the settlement was not an act of contrition and argued that public officers had been responsible for what occurred and referred to the one jury trial—held in federal courtroom in 2022—pitting Veolia and one other engineering advisor, Lockwood Andrews Newnam, towards regulation companies representing Flint kids and their households.

“Veolia North America stands behind its good work in Flint. The one jury who needed to think about the info and listen to the reality didn’t discover any proof to say in any other case,” the assertion mentioned, referring to the practically six-month-long trial that led to a mistrial.

“For the previous eight years, we now have been defending our work and our popularity towards baseless assaults,” the assertion continued. “Because the info of the 2022 trial clearly display, the Flint water disaster was attributable to authorities officers. It’s a shame that almost a decade plus because the disaster was set in movement, nonetheless no one who was truly accountable has been held accountable. This remaining settlement is by no means an admission of duty, however the most effective decision to keep away from a long time of expensive, unproductive and time-consuming litigation, and to deliver closure for all events concerned.

After the mistrial, Veolia NA settled the legal case involved in the 2022 trial with the households for $25 million final October. Each Nessel and Veolia NA’s statements referred to this state settlement as the top of litigation ensuing from the Flint water disaster.

“After years of drawn-out authorized battles, this settlement lastly closes a chapter for Flint residents,” added Nessel in her assertion.