By Monique Judge
The city of Flint, Mich., (click here) will not be able to file a lawsuit against the state of Michigan over the drinking-water crisis unless the state says it’s OK.
The Detroit Free Press reports that the five-member Receivership Transition Advisory Board, appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder, changed the rules under which Flint is governed so that the city cannot file a lawsuit without first getting approval from the state-appointed board.
Stated plainly, Flint will be unable to sue the state unless the state of Michigan approves the lawsuit first.
In March, Flint Mayor Karen Weaver filed a notice of intent to sue the state of Michigan in the Court of Claims in case the city decided to sue the state over lead contamination in the city’s water supply. Weaver and other city officials had no actual plans to file the suit, but because of a court rule that allows only 180 days to file the notice or lose the right to sue, city officials filed the notice on March 24, which was the 180th day.
State officials were upset about the notice and called for Flint to withdraw it. When that didn’t happen, the state used the Receivership Transition Advisory Board to put a stop to the threat....
