Divided Flint council agrees for city to join in settlement of residents water crisis claims
Updated Dec 22, 2020;
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FLINT, MI A divided City Council has signed off on Flint’s part of a $641-million settlement of water crisis lawsuits filed against it by residents, ending weeks of indecision and debate.
Council members voted 6-1 with two abstentions Tuesday, Dec. 22, to accept $20 million from an insurance policy to settle more than 100 pending civil lawsuits against it in state and federal courts, signing onto an agreement initially negotiated by the state of Michigan and attorneys for thousands of Flint residents.
A water tower is seen in Flint, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)
DETROIT (CN) Attorneys urged a federal judge Monday to grant preliminary approval of a massive settlement benefitting Flint residents poisoned by contaminated water, as local government officials wrestle with accepting their part of the deal.
More than 100 attorneys were present at the hearing but only a handful spoke and debated the merits of the agreement that would compensate thousands of victims for the injuries caused by the presence of lead in the city’s drinking water supply.
U.S. District Judge Judith Levy, a Barack Obama appointee, said the $641 million agreement is the “most complex settlement I’ve ever seen.”
The Flint City Council voted Thursday to postpone a vote on the city s $20 million portion of the state of Michigan s proposed $641 million settlement stemming from Flint water crisis lawsuits.
Council members held lengthy discussions Thursday over approving the city of Flint s $20 million insurance payment that would go toward the settlement of a class-action lawsuit stemming from lead in household water pipes beginning in 2014, when the city switched water sources.
They agreed to discuss the issue Monday at a scheduled City Council meeting.
Concerns by some on the council include what authorizing the payment would mean for the city and whether the settlement itself was large enough to cover replacement of pipes and future lawsuits.
Flint Council votes to hire own attorney, delays decision to settle water crisis cases against city
Updated Dec 17, 2020;
Posted Dec 17, 2020
Kate Fields looks through documents during the Flint City Council meeting at City Hall on Monday, Jan. 14, 2019 in downtown Flint. Kaiti Sullivan | MLive.comKaiti Sullivan
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FLINT, MI The City Council is hiring its own attorney to represent it in matters tied to the Flint water crisis and will wait before deciding whether to join in a settlement of residents’ lawsuits against the city, the state of Michigan and others.
Council members voted 8-1 on Thursday, Dec. 17, to postpone a vote until its meeting Monday, Dec. 21, on whether to use $20 million from its insurance carrier to join the proposed $641-million settlement.
Flint council delays vote on city s portion of proposed water crisis settlement
The Flint City Council on Monday night
delayed a vote on the city s portion of the state of Michigan s proposed $641 million water settlement over the lead contamination water crisis, with some saying the money was not enough.
After a lengthy discussion on what the city s $20 million insurance portion of the settlement would signify, council members voted to recess the meeting until 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
Members earlier questioned the merits of the agreement and the city s future culpability in being sued over the water crisis. Some even questioned the intentions of the city attorneys and mayor.