US judge approves $626 million settlement for thousands of residents affected by Flint water crisis
A judge has approved a $626 million (£467 million) settlement after tens of thousands of people in Flint, Michigan, sued the state after their drinking water was tainted by lead.
The money will be available to every Flint child who was exposed to the water, every adult who can show an injury, certain business owners, and anyone who paid water bills – regardless of whether they were part of a class-action lawsuit or sued the state on their own.
“The settlement reached here is a remarkable achievement for many reasons, not the least of which is that it sets forth a comprehensive compensation program and timeline that is consistent for every qualifying participant,” US District Judge Judith Levy said in a 178-page decision.
A resident protests in 2016 with a jug of her tap water and bag containing hair she lost. File pic: AP
Ted Leopold, one of the lead attorneys in the litigation added: “This is a historic and momentous day for the residents of Flint, who will finally begin to see justice served.”
Attorneys are seeking as much as $200 million (£149 million) in legal fees from the overall settlement, but Judge Levy left that issue for another day.
Corey Stern, another key lawyer in the case, said he represented “many brave kids who did not deserve the tragedy put on them”.
$600 million (£447 million) of the money will come from the state of Michigan, which was repeatedly accused of overlooking the risk of switching Flint’s water source.
The state agreed to the settlement last year after Michigan officials spent nearly two years negotiating with lawyers representing residents of the city.
The Michigan Civil Rights Commission has previously said “systemic racism” was at the core of the water crisis in the majority-black city.
One of the country’s worst public health disasters, problems with Flint’s water first began in 2014 after the city switched its supply to the Flint River from Lake Huron to cut costs.
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2016: Flint Water Scandal Tip Of Iceberg
Corrosive river water caused lead to leach from the pipes, tainting drinking water and causing a Legionnaires outbreak.
Flint switched back to Lake Huron the following year after Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha publicly reported elevated lead levels in children.
In January last year, former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder was charged with misdemeanours, and his health director and other ex-officials also charged with various misdemeanours and felonies after a new investigation into the scandal.
Flint will pay $20 million (£15 million) toward the settlement, while McLaren Health is paying $5 million (£3.7 million) and engineering firm Rowe Professional Services $1.25 million (£930,000).
Corrosive river water caused lead to leach from the pipes, making tap water unsafe to drink. File pic: AP
Court records said more than 25,000 people had been harmed through exposure to contaminants in Flint, including more than 5,000 children younger than 12.
“What happened in Flint should never have happened, and no amount of money can completely compensate people for what they have endured,” Governor Gretchen Whitmer – who was elected in 2018 – said on Wednesday.
Police in Tennessee have discovered 14 improvised explosive devices in a man’s home as they were arresting him, the local sheriff’s office said.
Officers were executing a warrant in the home of Kevin Wade O’Neal in Old Fort, about 45 miles (70km) east of Chattanooga, after he had threatened to kill public officials and law enforcement personnel in Polk County.
After arresting the 54-year-old, officers noticed “something smouldering” in the bedroom where he was found.
Kevin Wade O’Neal. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
On closer inspection, they discovered an improvised explosive device and evacuated the house until bomb squad officers arrived at the scene.
Fourteen devices were found inside the property – none of which detonated.
Improvised explosive devices were found in Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home in Old Fort, Tennessee. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
O’Neal was charged with 11 counts of attempted first-degree murder, corresponding to nine officers and two other people inside the property when the suspect tried to detonate the devices.
He also faces 14 counts of prohibited weapons and one count of possession of explosive components.
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O’Neal is being held at the Polk County jail and his bond is yet to be determined.
Donald Trump says he has ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in the “appropriate regions” in a row with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.
It comes after Mr Medvedev, who is now deputy chair of Russia‘s Security Council, told the US president on Thursday to remember Moscow had Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities of last resort.
On Friday, Mr Trump wrote on social media: “Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that.
“Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
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Trump: ‘We’re going to protect our people’
Speaking outside the White House later in the day, Mr Trump was asked about why he had moved the submarines and replied: “We had to do that. We just have to be careful.
“A threat was made and we didn’t think it was appropriate, so I have to be very careful. So I do that on the basis of safety for our people. A threat was made by a former president of Russia and we’re going to protect our people.”
The spat between Mr Trump and Mr Medvedev came after the US president warned Russia on Tuesday it had “10 days from today” to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine or face tariffs, along with its oil buyers.
Moscow has shown no sign that it will agree to Mr Trump’s demands.
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On Thursday, Mr Medvedev reminded Mr Trump that Russia possessed a Soviet-era automated nuclear retaliatory system – or “dead hand”.
Mr Medvedev, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was referring to a secretive semi-automated Soviet command system designed to launch Russia’s missiles if its leadership was taken out in a decapitating strike.
He made the remarks after Mr Trump told him to “watch his words” after Mr Medvedev said the US president’s threat of hitting Russia and its oil buyers with punitive tariffs was “a game of ultimatums” and added that “each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war” between Russia and the US.
Dmitry Medvedev. Pic: Reuters
Mr Medvedev served as Russia’s president from 2008 and 2012, when Mr Putin was barred from seeking a third consecutive term, but then stepped aside to let him run again.
As deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, he has become known for his provocative and inflammatory statements since Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022.
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