The NAACP announced Wednesday that they have filed a federal class action lawsuit against Michigan and Governor Rick Snyder on behalf of Flint residents and businesses. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, three former emergency managers with the City of Flint,two engineering firms hired to analyze the water and various other city and state officials are also names in the suit. The 103 page complaint accuses officials and companies supervising the water system of failing to properly treat the water supply causing lead to leech from corroded pipes into the drinking water.
The suit accuses the defendants of negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, violating the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. The complaint requests personal, property, and punitive damages in the case, calling on the court to compel the state and city to have Flint’s drinking water meet federal safety standards.
In a statement released by the NAACP, President Cornell Brooks said, “The people of Flint have been harmed through the failure of state officials to provide professional and accountable basic services mandated by federal law and expected by any person living in a major city. Our organization stands with the citizens of Flint to demand a clear timeline, deadline and price tag for fixing this crisis as well as effective remedies for the harms that have already occurred and complete compensation for each and every victim of this unimaginable tragedy.”
The NAACP has worked diligently in the City of Flint before the suit, calling on federal and state action to help with the water crisis. Hopefully the outcome brings about change for the citizens of Flint.
