Inmates at the Genesee County Jail were denied access to clean water during the Flint water crisis, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in Federal Court.
The lawsuit claims at least 300 inmates have come forward saying they were given tap water while it was known to be contaminated with high lead levels.
Solomon Radner is an attorney on the case. He says Genesee County and the Sheriff’s office are named as defendants.
“This litigation is very focused on the fact that the defendants that I named knew that it was poison water and forced inmates to drink it. It was either that or nothing.”
Radner said the suit seeks restitution under the 8th amendment.
“What this lawsuit alleges is that by forcing people to drink poison water that demonstrates deliberate indifference to their serious medical needs.”
Radner said the defendants have not yet been served.
He said he doesn’t know how long individual inmates were exposed to contaminated water, or for how long jail administration knew about the water contamination while serving it to inmates.
The Genesee County Sheriff’s office and Genesee County could not be reached for comment.