Flint water lawsuit dismissed

FLINT, MI, FEBRUARY 3, 2017 -- A federal judge has dismissed a major class-action lawsuit from Flint residents over how the state handled changes in the city's water crisis, Detroit News reports.

U.S. District Judge John Corbett O'Meara dismissed the case on Thursday, saying "allowing ... claims to proceed would circumvent Safe Water Drinking Act."

The lawsuit was filed in 2015 against Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, the city of Flint and other state and city officials based on their handling of a lead-tainted water crisis that led to several cases of legionella and what plaintiffs argue is ongoing "serious personal injury and property damage."

Judge O'Meara wrote that allowing the suit to continue would be "inconsistent with Congress' carefully tailored scheme" to "entrust the regulation of the public drinking water systems to an expert regulatory agency rather than the courts."

There are at least four other class-action suits still pending regarding the Flint water crisis.

Read more here.