Michigan attorney general sues companies for allegedly worsening the Flint water crisis

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette filed lawsuits against two companies for their contributions to the water crisis in Flint. — (Image credit: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette filed lawsuits against two companies Wednesday for their work in connection to the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. The lawsuit alleges that the water company and the engineering firm both contributed to and exacerbated the lead contamination in Flint's water supply through such "acts and omission [that] constitute professional negligence, fraud, and public nuisance," The Detroit Free Press reports. Both companies, Veolia North America and Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, were initially hired by the city for their expertise, Schuette said.

Thus far, Schuette has also pressed charges against two Michigan Department of Environmental Quality officials and one City of Flint official over the Flint crisis. The city of Flint has been dealing with contaminated drinking water since 2014, when its water was contaminated with dangerous levels of lead after the local government, under a state-appointed emergency manager, changed water sources.