LANSING — Today, a judge postponed ruling in the ongoing Flint Legionnaires case involving Department of Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyons. This comes after a PBS Frontline investigation found that the death toll from the Legionnaires’ outbreak during the Flint water crisis may be higher than originally expected. In response, state Rep. Phil Phelps (D-Flushing) issued the following statement:
“It is truly disheartening that once again justice has been delayed for the people of Flint. The state had a responsibility to inform the community about the harm of legionella, and in neglecting that duty it put countless lives at risk. After more than four years, it is time for Director Lyons to be held responsible for his irreparable failure to keep the people of Flint safe and healthy. I can only hope that the judge takes this Frontline discovery into account, and decides to send Director Lyons to trial next month for his egregious leadership.
“The fight for justice remains far from over; Flint residents are still in desperate need of clean water, even as this administration gives away our freshwater to foreign corporations for pennies. I will continue to call for those responsible for the ongoing crisis to be held accountable. The people of Flint deserve leadership that works for them, not bureaucrats in the Snyder-Schuette administration who neglect their most basic responsibilities.”
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