Water
Veolia Settles With Michigan Over Flint Water Crisis for $53M
Engineer that advised Flint after water source was switched in 2014 does not admit fault
Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam Inc. and Veolia North America had both worked on water-related issues for the city of Flint, Mich.
Photo by Sean Marshall/Flickr
Consulting engineering firm Veolia North America has agreed to a $53-million civil settlement related to lead contamination in the water supply of the city of Flint, Mich., the state Attorney General's office announced February 21.
Boston-based Veolia NA was hired as an engineering consultant after the city of Flint switched water sources from Detroit-supplied Lake Huron water to that of the Flint River in 2014. Water distribution pipes began to corrode after the switch and lead and other contaminants were leached into municipal drinking water. The lawsuit being settled was filed on behalf of 26,000 individuals who were impacted by the lead-contaminated water. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement the state will dismiss its separate lawsuit against the company. The Attorney General's statement said the $53 million will be distributed among the plaintiffs, including families where both adults and children were exposed to the lead-contaminated water.
"While no amount of money can fully repair the damage caused to the Flint community, these funds will provide additional resources to those directly impacted, especially Flint children, by this preventable crisis," Attorney General Nessel said in the statement.
Veolia NA, in its statement, said the settlement was not an admission of guilt and argued that public officials were to blame for what happened and referred to the one jury trial—held in federal court in 2022—pitting Veolia and another engineering consultant, Lockwood Andrews Newnam, against law firms representing Flint children and their families.
“Veolia North America stands behind its good work in Flint. The only jury who had to consider the facts and hear the truth did not find any evidence to say otherwise," the statement said, referring to the nearly six-month-long trial that ended in a mistrial.
"For the past eight years, we have been defending our work and our reputation against baseless attacks," the statement continued. "As the facts of the 2022 trial clearly demonstrate, the Flint water crisis was caused by government officials. It is a disgrace that nearly a decade plus since the crisis was set in motion, still no person who was actually responsible has been held accountable. This final settlement is in no way an admission of responsibility, but the best resolution to avoid decades of costly, unproductive and time-consuming litigation, and to bring closure for all parties involved.
After the mistrial, Veolia NA settled the legal case involved in the 2022 trial with the families for $25 million last October. Both Nessel and Veolia NA's statements referred to this state settlement as the end of litigation resulting from the Flint water crisis.
"After years of drawn-out legal battles, this settlement finally closes a chapter for Flint residents," added Nessel in her statement.
