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Jury selection begins this week in Flint water case

In 2014, Flint, Mich., changed its water source from the Great Lakes to the nearby Flint River. Tests later revealed elevated levels of lead in the water coming from the river.
Carlos Osorio
/
AP
In 2014, Flint, Mich., changed its water source from the Great Lakes to the nearby Flint River. Tests later revealed elevated levels of lead in the water coming from the river.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin Tuesday in federal court in Ann Arbor in a lawsuit tied to the Flint water crisis.

The case involves legal claims by four children against two engineering companies over alleged negligence involved in Flint’s lead tainted drinking water.

Attorneys for Veolia North America and Lockwood, Andrews & Newman deny their clients were negligent.

They say they are not responsible for the plaintiffs’ alleged injuries.

This is a bellwether case. It’s called that because it could predict how other plaintiffs may fare if they decide to proceed to trial against these defendants.

The companies are not part of the $626-million-dollar settlement of other Flint water claims.

More than 50 thousand people agreed to drop claims against the state of Michigan, city of Flint and two other businesses in exchange for a share of that settlement.