"Residents of Flint, Mich., can bring a class action against the state and their former governor for personal injury and property damage caused by the city switching to untreated river water that corroded pipes in 2014, which exposed thousands to lead-contaminated drinking water.
The residents can bring claims alleging damages for diminution of property value and for harm to their bodily integrity against state officials and former Gov. Rick Snyder (R), the Michigan Supreme Court held in a highly divided set of rulings Wednesday that split the justices in several directions.
Four justices wrote across various opinions to uphold the plaintiffs’ right to seek property damages through a claim of “inverse-condemnation,” in which plaintiffs can argue that a government action that harms their property would result in an unconstitutional taking without compensating."
