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Federal jury will hear from reluctant witness in civil trial lawsuit involving Flint Water Crisis

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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

A federal jury will hear from a former Flint emergency manager on Tuesday.

The testimony will figure into a lawsuit seeking damages on behalf of four children exposed to Flint’s tainted drinking water.

Former Emergency Manager Gerald Ambrose won’t be appearing in person. The judge issued an order authorizing the plaintiffs in the case to play a video deposition Ambrose gave in 2020.

Ambrose is among nine people criminally inducted for their role in the water crisis in 2021.

The five potential witnesses in the civil trial...including Ambrose and former Governor Rick Snyder, are asking a federal appeals court to allow them to invoke their constitutional right against self-incrimination.

That would mean they wouldn’t have to testify.

The civil case involves two engineering firms hired as consultants on Flint’s water system. The firms deny any responsibility.

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