The state of Michigan will pay the plaintiffs of lawsuits stemming from the Flint Water Crisis more than $500 million. According to The Detroit News, specific details of the settlement will be made available on Friday. The development comes after several years of litigation.
“If money is how government expresses sorrow for its crimes — this is a big apology,” said Marc Edwards, a civil engineering professor and water expert in reaction to the Flint settlement. Edwards spearheaded the study team responsible for exposing the city’s lead contamination. His efforts inspired another study on the children of Flint, Michigan.
FLINT, MI – MAY 4:U.S. President Barack Obama hugs Maryanna Copeny of Flint, Michigan, age 8, after speaking at Northwest High School about the Flint water contamination crisis on May 4, 2016 in Flint, Michigan. While in Flint, the President heard first-hand from residents about the water crisis, and received an in-person briefing on the federal efforts that are in place to help respond to the needs of the city’s residents. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
The money from the Flint settlement is expected to largely be earmarked for the young people who were poisoned by the water supply after government officials changed the source of the city’s water in 2014. It’s been estimated that more than 100,000 people were exposed to elevated lead levels. As many as 12,000 were affected by lead poisoning.
According to the New York Times, individual amounts paid out to residents will depend on their degree of suffering and damage from consuming the water. More than 79 lawsuits have been filed pertaining to the matter. Reports have not revealed whether or not all will be addressed with the multi-million dollar settlement that marks more than 18 months of negotiations.
The state of Michigan has also filed a lawsuit going after the engineering companies who were hired by the city of Flint to consult them on the shift in the water source. According to The Detroit News, Michigan’s Attorney General has previously stated that any settlement against the engineering companies would help offset any settlement the state is required to pay on.
Anyone who resided in Flint between 2014 and 2016 could be eligible to collect on the Flint settlement. NYT reports that payments are expected to be released beginning in the spring of 2021.
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