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Purveyor

(29,876 posts)
Mon Jan 25, 2016, 06:53 PM Jan 2016

Plaintiffs' Lawyers Wary Of Taking On Flint Water Scandal

The water scandal in Flint, Michigan has many of the ingredients for a mass, class-action lawsuit: danger signs that may have been ignored, many thousands of potential victims, the possibility of lifelong health problems, and the alleged systemic failure of people in charge.

Even consumer activist Erin Brockovich, the main subject of a 2000 movie named after her, has drawn attention to Flint's plight on her Facebook page and in public appearances.

But big-name, national plaintiffs' firms have yet to jump into the fray in Flint, which has a population of about 100,000.

What's holding them back, several lawyers said, is not the facts or the victims, but the prospective targets: The State of Michigan, the city of Flint, and officials at various levels of government. Special legal protections make it difficult to hold governments liable for damages, they said.

Federal and state governments and employees engaged in their official duties are shielded from most private lawsuits by a legal doctrine known as sovereign immunity. The doctrine, enshrined in the laws of many countries, stems from the centuries-old principle that the government itself cannot commit a legal wrong, though exceptions have evolved.

MORE...

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-michigan-water-lawsuits-insight-idUSKCN0V32O9

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geek tragedy

(68,868 posts)
2. that, and most big plaintiffs' firms have close relations with state governments, especially
Mon Jan 25, 2016, 07:49 PM
Jan 2016

attorneys general and state employee pension funds.

Odin2005

(53,521 posts)
5. Coffee lady actually had very serious burns and her case was 100% valid.
Tue Jan 26, 2016, 10:10 AM
Jan 2016

Don't fall for RW bullshit.

 

Proserpina

(2,352 posts)
4. I guess that's one advantage to running a state into the ground financially
Mon Jan 25, 2016, 08:29 PM
Jan 2016

Nobody wants to sue a bankrupt state.

That's why the FBI investigation into the cover up will be so important.

KoKo

(84,711 posts)
6. Sad..but, likely the way it is going to go...
Tue Jan 26, 2016, 10:22 AM
Jan 2016

Still....someone should be held accountable and the medical bills and restoration of the piping in every house should be paid for. Yet it will be years of litigation. The people of Flint need help NOW! How about Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Tm Cook and the rest of those Billionaires chipping in to help the People of Flint? Maybe the Clinton Foundation should kick in, too. After all this is a Crises in our Own Country and these people need help ASAP.

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