Firm announces $25M settlement over role in Flint, Michigan, lead-tainted water crisis
A second contractor says it has reached a $25 million settlement over its role in Flint, Michigan’s lead-contaminated water scandal
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — A second contractor said Thursday that it has reached a $25 million settlement over its role in Flint, Michigan's lead-contaminated water scandal that officials say caused learning disabilities in scores of children and other medical problems among adults in the majority Black city.
The class-action litigation agreement includes payments of $1,500 for individual minors, according to Boston-based Veolia North America. The company says the agreement will resolve claims made on behalf of more than 45,000 Flint residents.
In July, the engineering firm Lockwood, Andrews & Newman said in a court filing that a confidential deal was reached with residents in federal court. Like Veolia North America, Lockwood, Andrews & Newman had been accused of being partially responsible for the water crisis in the city about 60 miles (95 kilometers) northwest of Detroit.
Flint, which was under state-appointed managers, used the Flint River for water in 2014-15, but the water wasn’t treated the same as water previously supplied by a Detroit-area provider. As a result, lead leached throughout the vast pipe system.
