Michigan Agrees To Pay $600 Million To Flint Residents Over Water Debacle

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A task force concluded in 2016 that Michigan’s environmental agency bore primary responsibility for the water crisis in Flint. The state is now agreeing to pay $600 million to resolve lawsuits over the crisis.

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Laying out who might receive some of the money, the settlement summary states:

«All individuals who were minors in Flint at the time they were first exposed to Flint water during the Exposure Period will be eligible to recover compensation without proof of personal injury, with larger amounts of compensation to those who can show personal injuries, blood or bone lead levels, or who lived in homes with lead service lines.

The summary also says anyone who owned or rented a home in Flint and received city water between April 25, 2014, and July 31, 2016, «will be eligible to recover property related compensation.

In addition to court approval, the settlement also requires several preliminary conditions to be met. Details about those requirements were not revealed early Thursday; the settlement summary says the state and plaintiffs will work in good faith to meet the conditions, likely within the next 45 days.

«Because of those steps, many of the details must remain confidential for the time being, Nessel said.

In addition to civil lawsuits against the city and state, the Flint crisis also prompted criminal charges, although seemingly all of them have been either resolved or dismissed.

More than a dozen state and city officials were indicted for their part in the crisis; several of them reached plea deals to avoid jail time. Last summer, prosecutors dropped all charges against eight government officials, saying they would instead launch an expanded investigation.

In January, Flint’s ABC 12 TV news station reported, «For the first time since charges were levied in the Flint water crisis on April 20, 2016, not a single person is currently facing charges.