Mistrial DECLARED – Jury Fails!
(ConservativeHub.com) – Representatives for four children in Flint, Michigan, sued Veolia North America and Lockwood, Andrews & Newman (LAN) engineering firms for their alleged roles in creating the area’s water crisis. A contaminated municipal water supply allegedly exposed tens of thousands of residents to harmful levels of lead. But after a months-long trial and multiple attempts to reach a verdict, the jury reported they remained deadlocked, and the judge declared a mistrial.
The civil lawsuit sought to hold the companies responsible for failing to stop the use of the dangerous water. The attorneys for the victims explained Veolia and LAN should have known about the contamination and taken steps to push the local government to fix the problem. They wanted responsibility broken down to 25% for LAN and 50% for Veolia, with Flint officials making up the remaining 25%, according to a report from NPR.
Federal Judge Declares a Mistrial in Defining Flint Water Crisis Case After Deadlocked Jury Cites ‘Physical and Emotional Health’https://t.co/NtfW2G8Ij8
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NPR also reported that Veolia countered that Flint authorities didn’t hire the firm until the situation was already underway, and LAN claimed they made repeat recommendations for further testing.
The jury told the court they could not possibly reach the required unanimous decision without any of the members compromising their beliefs. US Magistrate Judge David Grand had already dismissed a motion by the plaintiffs to allow a majority instead of complete agreement on the verdict.
Dan Stein, attorney for Veolia, said the decision was a win as it shows the plaintiffs failed to prove their case. Attorneys for the victims vowed to take the case back to court because they saw this as a close loss.
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