An engineering company accused of being partially responsible for Flint’s lead-contaminated water in 2014-15 has agreed to settle lawsuits brought by residents of the Michigan city, attorneys said Thursday.
Lockwood, Andrews & Newman, an engineering firm known as LAN, said in a court filing that a confidential deal was reached with residents in federal court but that both sides need more time to iron out the details.
Separately, LAN reached a deal in a different lawsuit that Michigan’s attorney general filed in state court.
LAN said it couldn’t disclose terms of the new deal but was pleased to reach an agreement.
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“We believe this will finally bring closure for the state, plaintiffs and LAN,” attorney Wayne Mason said. “LAN maintains it was never responsible for any of the issues related to the Flint matter, and further litigation would not be productive for any party.”
The state was sued because environmental regulators and other officials missed opportunities to fix Flint’s water problems during the lead crisis. Flint returned to a regional water supplier in fall 2015.