Post by Logan on Feb 1, 2016 1:44:25 GMT -6
A new legal migraine could be kicking in for seven Michigan Department of Environmental Quality employees who are being sued over the Flint water crisis.
State Attorney General Bill Schuette said his office can’t defend them and they need to find their own lawyers, according to a new federal court filing.
In a move that could suggest friction is building between various state agencies over the Flint fiasco, Schuette said that his office can defend the governor and state, but not the DEQ, because their interests could be at odds as defendants in the case.
“As the issues surrounding the situation in Flint have unfolded, particularly in the last week, it has become apparent that there is a potential conflict of interest between the Governor and State of Michigan on the one hand, and the individual MDEQ employees on the other,” Schuette wrote in a late Friday filing in the court case. “Given this conflict, counsel have determined it is likely they cannot effective represent both sets of clients.”
Read more: www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/flint-water-crisis/2016/01/31/deq-workers-need-find-own-lawyer-flint-lawsuit/79608504/
State Attorney General Bill Schuette said his office can’t defend them and they need to find their own lawyers, according to a new federal court filing.
In a move that could suggest friction is building between various state agencies over the Flint fiasco, Schuette said that his office can defend the governor and state, but not the DEQ, because their interests could be at odds as defendants in the case.
“As the issues surrounding the situation in Flint have unfolded, particularly in the last week, it has become apparent that there is a potential conflict of interest between the Governor and State of Michigan on the one hand, and the individual MDEQ employees on the other,” Schuette wrote in a late Friday filing in the court case. “Given this conflict, counsel have determined it is likely they cannot effective represent both sets of clients.”
Read more: www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/flint-water-crisis/2016/01/31/deq-workers-need-find-own-lawyer-flint-lawsuit/79608504/