Erin Brockovich announced on February 11 that she will lend her legal expertise to the Flint Water Crisis Class Action Team, which is representing a number of Flint, Michigan, residents in a class action lawsuit filed in November 2015 on their behalf against various state and federal departments and officials.
This is the same Erin Brockovich who fought Pacific Gas & Electric in a direct action lawsuit that netted $333 million in damages – the very same Erin Brockovich who Julia Roberts portrayed in her 2000 namesake movie.
Health And Property Damages
The lawsuit, known as Mays vs. Michigan, is filed in the U.S. District Court of Detroit, and alleges that Republican Governor Rick Snyder and 13 other defendants violated residents’ Fourteenth Amendment rights. Specifically, the suit names two Flint Emergency Managers Gov. Snyder appointed to handle Flint’s financial crisis, Darnell Earley and Gerry Ambrose, and a number of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) officials as defendants.
The class action lawsuit alleges the above named defendants deprived residents of their life and liberty without due process when they forced Flint residents to use and drink water from the Flint River, which the same officials knew did not meet safety or quality standards.
As a result of using the Flint River, Flint residents have suffered a variety of property damages to pipes, faucets, and underground plumbing.
The class action also documents a host of health problems Flint residents have already suffered including:
- Autoimmune disorders;
- Chemically-induced hypertension;
- Chronic anxiety and depression;
- Hair loss and skin lesions, and
- Seizure-like convulsions.
The Action Team and Brockovich are fighting to recover economic and non-economic damages related to the health property issues, and seeks to recover the cost of ongoing medical care. Those who own their homes are seeking an amount equal to the difference between the value prior to the lead crisis and the current value. With some home values sitting at around $14,000, that difference is equal to about 80 percent for some.
Class Action Suit Needs Legal Expertise
Brockovich posted on her Facebook timeline about the suit, saying,
“I have been with you since last year… trying very hard to advise the City and State about the water quality mess they had made, hoping they might listen and make recommended corrections … I have been to Washington DC, meeting with the USEPA, Congressman Kildee, Senator Boxer and other high ranking Congressional leadership about the problems with the Flint water system…and the damage they were causing …
… I am pleased to let you all know, I have joined with the litigation team I feel can best represent YOU, the consumers, who have been injured, damaged and lied to for so long now.”
The Action Team’s original press release notes the Michigan DHHS knew about he elevated lead levels in children’s’ blood, and that the levels was related to using the Flint River. Most egregiously, the suit alleges that the MDHHS hid the information from public view for almost a year, during which time state officials promised residents that nothing was wrong with the water.
The governor had until March 1 to hand over documents related to the Flint Water Crisis, according to a subpoena, and the contents of the documents could finally shed some more light on the situation.
Two additional suits filed in Genesee County came out of the original suit, and request that the judge stop Flint from shutting off residents’ water for non-payment. Additionally, it requests the judge stop Flint residents from having to pay “past or future bills for useless and harmful water.”
More than 400 residents attended the first public meeting, an information session about the lawsuits, on February 16. So many people showed up that hundreds even waited outside because the venue was filled to capacity, according to an update from the Action Team.
The Class Action Team is planning a future meeting at a larger venue to accommodate all affected Flint families. Although Brockovich couldn’t be there physically, she did attend electronically.
In The Beginning
Every single Flint resident was poisoned by lead and other toxic chemicals to some degree starting in April 2014, when Gov. Snyder decided to override the MDEQ warning that the Flint River was not safe – a warning made in 2013 after testing proved bad water quality. Gov. Snyder nevertheless switched from using Detroit Water to using water from the Flint River.
To make matters worse, the emergency manager decided the corrosion prevention wasn’t worth the $100 a day for three months, so he broke federal law and didn’t use it, which made the problem worse. These actions led directly to the lead poisoning, and now it’ll cost more than $2 billion to fix the man-made problem.
Lead in the water at any level is bad, but the levels seen during the Flint water crisis guarantees future health issues for all involved, especially since lead exposure effects often don’t show up until three to five years after the initial exposure. This leaves every single Flint resident wondering how badly they’ve been poisoned, and whether they’ll be devastated by health problems later in life.
Children are especially at risk of suffering from learning disabilities or other long-term injuries, and only long term monitoring can determine to what extent.
Those who wish to join the class action lawsuit against Michigan may contact one of the law firms handling the case by visiting the Flint Water Class Action website.
Featured Image: Screemshot via Erin Brockovich/Facebook And Screenshot via AnonIntelGroup/YouTube.com
