A jury tasked with finding whether two engineering firms that worked for Flint, Mich., are partially to blame for the city's lead-tainted drinking water crisis in 2014 and 2015 was unable to reach a unanimous decision, prompting a judge to declare a mistrial on Aug. 11 in what was seen as a bellwether case.
Veolia North America and Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam Inc., were accused of negligence and breach of the standard of professional care in their work for the city. The plaintiffs said the engineering firms failed to prevent corrosive water from causing lead to leach from pipes into drinking water systems, alleging that drinking the water caused neuro-cognitive injuries in four children.