A new lawsuit pursuing class-action standing has been filed in the middle of the Flint water crisis. This time, it is accusing the Flint leaders of active discrimination of ordinary citizens by proving clean water to state office workers only.
Attorneys Valdemar Washington and Susan Burke filed the lawsuit in federal court last January 31, said Detroit Free Press. The ones involved in the lawsuit are Gov. Rick Snyder, his emergency managers, the city and state of Flint. It argues that officials were aware of the Flint water system's contamination, but just hid the situation from the residents, making them engage in 'gross negligence.'
Furthermore, the officials have put the residents in an ongoing and continuous danger as they falsified the toxic water to be safe and suitable for human use and consumption, MLive reported. The rights of the residents were as well violated as officials have ignored their complaints regarding the color, taste and smell of Flint's water. The residents are somewhat discriminated too, as claims point to recently released documents showing that Flint state employees have been receiving bottled water while government officials continued telling the people that the water system of the city was safe and fine.
The lawsuit that Washington and Burke filed was on behalf of Beatrice Boler, a mother of two; Edwin Anderson, a Flint pastor, together with his wife Alline Anderson; and the company Epco Sales LLC. All of them have been affected and exposed to the unsafe drinking water of Flint.
As for Michigan officials and residents, they are not satisfied with what Snyder is doing for the mishap and thus, want his arrest and resignation as governor. And while Flint Mayor Dr. Karen Weaver agrees with Snyder that the water system's lead contamination was due to the government's failure at every level, she feels that the state is the one ultimately responsible, according to Think Progress.
"There's enough blame to go all the way around. But we know the buck stops with the Governor," she added.
Weaver further stated that she is just waiting for the probe to reveal who are the people behind the adverse water disaster and when did it actually begin. She also believes that it will not only be the governor's name involved in the case but a lot more officials.
