Governor Whitmer Statement on $600M Preliminary Settlement for Flint Water Civil Lawsuits

August 20, 2020

Press Release Issued by: Governor of Michigan

LANSING, Mich. –  Last week, the State of Michigan agreed to a $600 million settlement of the civil lawsuits brought against the State of Michigan by Flint residents after the water supply for the City of Flint was switched to the Flint River on April 25, 2014. 

Governor Gretchen Whitmer video statement. 

From our first month in office, Attorney General Nessel and I made it clear to our teams that even though we inherited this situation, it was our responsibility to achieve the best possible settlement for the children and families of Flint – as soon as we could.

Protecting all Michiganders and their access to clean water is a priority for my administration to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.

What happened in Flint should have never happened, and financial compensation with this settlement is just one of the many ways we can continue to show our support for the city of Flint and its families. 

This includes:

• Working to help the city complete lead service-line replacement;  
• A 2021 State budget that includes millions of dollars for Flint’s ongoing nutrition programs, child health care services, early childhood programs, lead prevention and abatement, school aid, services to seniors, and other programs supporting people in Flint who were previously exposed to lead and other contaminants.
• A 2020 budget that included $120M to clean up drinking water through investments in water infrastructure;
• Creating the Office of the Clean Water Public Advocate, and the appointment of a clean water public advocate and an environmental justice public advocate; and 
• New lead and copper water quality standards that are the strictest in the nation.

We acknowledge that this settlement may not completely provide all that Flint needs, and that many will still feel justifiable frustration with a system and structure that at times is not adequate to fully address what has happened to people in Flint over the last six years. We hear and respect those voices and understand that healing Flint will take a long time, but our ongoing efforts and today’s settlement announcement are important steps in helping all of us move forward.

The uncertainty and troubles that the people of Flint have endured is unconscionable.  

It is time for the State to do what it can and take this critical step forward so that we can keep working towards the brighter future that the people of Flint and our entire state deserve.

An agreement has been reached on the terms of a settlement, and now the parties are working to document all the details. As the legal process moves forward, we will continue working to make sure that the people of Flint have the facts about the settlement.