Credit Caroline Llanes / Michigan Radio
A federal judge is granting preliminary approval of a $641 million settlement of many of the civil lawsuits tied to the Flint Water Crisis.
The settlement involves lawsuits brought by Flint residents seeking damages related to their exposure to lead and other contaminates released when the city’s drinking water source was switched in 2014. Property owners and businesses are also seeking damages.
In the order released Thursday, U.S. District Judge Judith Levy admits this is “a partial settlement” and “does not represent the end of the Flint Water Crisis litigation.”
“It does not resolve all of the Flint Water Cases, and the first round of bellwether trials against the non-settling Defendants are currently set for June 4, 2021,” the judge wrote.
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Many healthcare workers torn on whether to get COVID-19 vaccine
The development of the Pfizer - BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for protection against the coronavirus took less than a year - a real marvel of science. However, many people are showing uncertainty regarding the vaccine s long-term effects.
What is really surprising is that many frontline healthcare workers - doctors and nursing staff alike - are opting out of taking the new coronavirus vaccines. From California to Virginia, anywhere from 15 to 50 percent of healthcare professionals are reluctant to roll up their sleeves.
In California s Riverside County, an estimated 50 percent of frontline workers refused to take the vaccine, resulting in hospital and public officials meeting to strategize how best to distribute the unused doses, Public Health Director Kim Saruwatari said, according to KTLA.com.
Credit steve carmody / Michigan Radio
During a court hearing on Monday, a federal judge said she expects to decide by next month whether to approve a massive legal settlement of claims tied to the Flint water crisis.
U.S. District Judge Judith Levy says the $641 million master agreement is among the most complex settlement she has ever seen. The complexity of the deal could be surmised by the more than 140 lawyers on the Zoom hearing.
Under the settlement, the state of Michigan, McLaren-Flint Hospital, a local Flint engineering firm and the city of Flint would contribute to the settlement fund. The Flint city council must still agree to authorize the city’s $20 million share of the settlement. The council has until the end of the month to approve, otherwise the city could face millions more in liabilities in court.
Credit steve carmody / Michigan Radio
The Flint city council has signed off on joining a $641 million settlement of water crisis lawsuits.
The council voted just after midnight after a marathon session Monday night to tap $20 million in insurance funds to pay the city’s share of the settlement.
The council voted for the resolution, despite concerns about how the settlement will distribute the funds to Flint residents who suffered health problems and other issues during and after the ill-conceived switch of the city’s drinking water source to the Flint River in 2014.
The river water was not properly treated with corrosion control, causing lead to leach from pipes into the city’s drinking water. The water source was switched back to Detroit’s water system in 2015, but by then the damage was done.
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