Politics

Money in the Water: Legal Sharks from NYC Recruit Clients for Flint Lawsuits

April 15, 2016, 10:16 AM

Predictably, and perhaps beneficially for affected residents, Flint is a magnet for out-of-state lawyers.

"Attorneys are swarming around Flint – advertising, holding public meetings and even hosting clinics where adults and children can have their blood tested.," Michigan Radio reporter-producer Steve Carmody says in a three-minute report. "Anyone who shows up is handed a form asking if they want a lawyer."

Turn the TV on in Flint and you’ll likely hear a commercial with a very specific question.

“If you’ve tested positive for the presence of lead in your blood, experienced nausea, hair loss, skin loss or other issues after consumption of Flint River water or property damage caused by the Flint River water system., you need to call . . ." The announcer gives the name and contact information for a New York law firm. . . .

Lawyers are chasing what they hope will be big settlements. They’re taking cases on contingency. If their clients win, the lawyers get a percentage of the settlement or judgment.


Manhattan attorney Marc Bern has signed up more than 400 people in a class-action suit against Gov. Rick Snyder and the state.

Damage claims already are filed in court and the flow is just starting, the public broadcaster says.

Thousands of Flint residents and business owners have already signed on to about a half-dozen class-action lawsuits.

It’s a shotgun approach. The suits seek damages from the governor, state officials, local officials, former state and local officials – even companies that consulted on the decision that damaged the city’s pipes and continue to leach lead into the drinking water.

And then there are the individual lawsuits: One New York law firm alone has filed more than 60 on behalf of Flint children. And more are on the way.

Carmody quotes a Michigan State legal ethicist and a Washington group that lobbies to limit class-action lawsuits.

-- Alan Stamm

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Read more:  Michigan Radio


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