Michigan AG Sought to Hold Officials Implicated in Flint Water Crisis Investigation Accountable

JANUARY 14, 2021

On January 13, 2021, Michigan Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud, whose office is within that of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, secured grand jury indictments against nine state and local officials implicated in a years-long investigation into the decisions and actions that led to the Flint Water Crisis. The Flint Water Crisis occurred as a result of a 2014 decision to switch the source of Flint’s municipal water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River, which led to corrosion of pipes and contamination of public drinking water with lead and harmful bacteria. The Michigan Attorney General’s office has implemented a conflict wall to ensure the integrity of its criminal investigation and civil litigation stemming from the crisis.

On June 18, 2021, AG Nessel’s office announced that “a Genesee County circuit court judge and a Michigan Court of Appeals judge this week have denied motions for preliminary examination and immediate appellate review filed by defendants charged in the Flint Water Crisis prosecution.”

On October 25, 2022, the Flint Water prosecution team announced its intent to appeal after the same judge ordered to dismiss charges against seven of defendants in the case.

On December 9, 2022, the Flint Water prosecution team released a statement announcing its intent to appeal after a judge dismissed charges against former Governor Rick Snyder.

On September 20, 2023, the the Michigan Supreme Court declined to hear the prosecution team’s appeals of lower court orders. The team released the following statement: “The Flint Water Crisis was not caused by an act of nature. It resulted from the direct actions of a small group of people in power who chose financial savings for the State over the health of Flint residents, and then conspired to hide the truth from the public. We are deeply disappointed in the Michigan Supreme Court’s ruling.”