From Detroit News A Michigan Court of Claims judge has ruled Flint residents can indeed sue state officials for their decisions that led to the city's drinking water contamination problems. Judge Mark T. Boonstra, a Michigan Court of Appeals judge who presides over the Court of Claims, said residents have provided sufficient facts in their lawsuit against the state over contaminated water that "if proven" would show actions by the state were "so arbitrary in a constitutional sense, as to shock the conscience." Boonstra added claims by state officials that Flint residents did not file their lawsuit within six months of the water crisis date, which means their case should be dismissed, were "unpersuasive." In the action filed Jan. 21, Flint residents sued Gov. Rick Snyder, Michigan's departments of Environmental Quality and Health and Human Services, and two former Flint emergency managers for roles that allegedly contributed to the city's water crisis. The state did not acknowledge a lead problem existed in the water until October 2015. Attorney Michael Pitt, who represents Flint resident Melissa Mays and others in this case, said Boonstra "decimated the state on this one." "The victors here are the people of Flint. They are going to get their day in court," Pitt said. "The opinion is well-crafted. It showed tremendous amount of thoughtful analysis of the issues, and the judge is evidently very engaged in the case... "He took the factual allegations of all the things the state did wrong, if what they say is true they meet the definition of shocking the conscience." You Can read the entire Detroit News story here Other Coverage ABC News http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/judge-lets-flint-residents-lawsuit-state-move-ahead-43106124 San Francisco Chronicle http://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Judge-lets-Flint-residents-lawsuit-against-state-10417456.php
