DETROIT, MI (AP)-- A judge says the federal government can be sued for negligence in the Flint water crisis.
Federal Judge Judith Levy says regulators failed to timely act as good Samaritans and blow the whistle on lead in the water supply. The decision comes days after the state of Michigan said it’s willing to pay $600 million to settle lawsuits by Flint residents over disastrous decisions by Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration.
The federal government argued that Michigan was the lead regulator and bears any responsibility. But the judge noted that the Environmental Protection Agency responded to complaints about the water and provided expertise to the state and Flint.
