A lawsuit by Flint residents against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can move forward. U.S. District Court Judge Linda Parker ruled the plaintiffs can sue the EPA. Nearly 5,000 Flint residents are part of the lawsuit. It was filed in 2017. The lawsuit alleges the EPA failed to utilize its authority under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The government sought to dismiss the suit.
Attorney Michael Pitt represents the plaintiffs.
"The EPA seemed confident that they were going to have the case dismissed. And we are now in a position where the EPA will have to make another assessment of their responsibility for the harm that they caused," he says. "We think that in light of Judge Parker's ruling they will reconsider their position and begin participating in settlement discussions."
The EPA declined to comment.
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