The courts are going to be busy for a long time, and I sure hope Governor Rick Snyder and his gang have some good attorneys, because the lawsuits, they are a-flowing.
Today's installment, filed last week, includes a 118-page class action lawsuit against Snyder and others in his administration for property damage, loss of business and financial losses attributed to the city's water crisis, and compensatory damages for future medical care and punitive damages.
But there's more. The lawsuit also contains a racketeering complaint against Snyder and his henchmen.
MLive reports:
Attorneys for multiple city residents claim state officials opted to appoint an emergency manager for Flint rather than declare bankruptcy in a "fiscal scheme to balance the budget at all costs in conscious disregard of the health, property, and prosperity" of Flint residents.
The suit claims officials committed mail fraud by continuing to mail water bills to Flint residents, which they allege fraudulently misrepresent that the city is providing safe, clean water to its residents.
They further allege officials continued to make statements claiming the water was safe despite being aware of growing concerns over the quality of the water.
The lawsuit also alleges the defendants committed wire fraud by allowing residents to pay their water bills online or with credit cards despite knowing the water was toxic.
A RICO lawsuit requires attorneys to prove that the wrongdoing was part of an ongoing enterprise. If successful, the law allows triple the amount of damages to be paid.
The case is the first time the RICO Act has been used in a lawsuit regarding the city's water crisis.
Of course, city officials deny any wrongdoing or responsibility for poisoning an entire city.
"Plaintiffs here are really overreaching to suggest that private firms somehow conspired with the City and State when all they did was to provide advice on limited issues as provided for in their contracts," said a statement issued by a LAN spokesman. "Accordingly, we will vigorously contest these allegations and all others in this lawsuit."
We will watch this progress, and report back. It's about time someone was held accountable for the intentional poisoning of an entire city.
