This story has been updated to include comment from Lockwood, Andrews and Newnam.
FLINT, MI - The Flint mother who told federal lawmakers her house was "ground zero" for lead-contaminated water has filed a lawsuit against those she says are responsible for poisoning her children.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday, March 3, in Genesee Circuit Court by LeeAnne Walters, names multiple corporate entities and three current and former government employees for their role in the city's water crisis.
Walters claims her four children have been exposed to extremely high levels of lead and have experienced brain development injuries, cognitive deficits and other problems.
"It's time for the kids to be heard," Walters' attorney, Corey Stern said. "With so much talk among officials, heads of corporations, and the media, the reality of what happened to these children - and how it will affect each of them for the rest of their lives - has been drowned out in the noise."
The lawsuit alleges the companies hired evaluate and review the city's water services, Rowe Professional Services Company, Veolia and Lockwood, Andrews and Newnam, committed professional negligence by failing to insist on corrosion control for the city's treated water.
Former Flint Public Utilities Director Howard Croft, former Michigan DEQ spokesman Brad Wurfel and Michigan's Chief Medical Executive Eden Wells are accused of gross negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress for their "outrageous conduct" that allowed lead to remain in the water despite residents' concerns, according to the lawsuit.
"The systems we provided services on are operating without issue, and it is clear that LAN provided these specific services in a responsible and appropriate manner in accordance with industry standards. Decisions concerning the optimization plan for corrosion control were made by the city and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and not by LAN."
New York-based law firm Levy Konigsberg LLP and the Flint-based Robinson Carter & Crawford PLLC, which are representing Walters, filed eight similar complaints Thursday on behalf of other Flint parents.
"We are prepared to file as many individual cases for children in Flint as there are children in this city who have been lead poisoned," Stern said. "The number of children harmed should not deprive each child of his or her individual day in court."
Walters testified in February in front of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in Washington, D.C. after elevated lead levels were discovered in her home by Virginia Tech researchers.
"The citizens in Flint were assured for 18 months that the water was safe," Walter testified. "We were dismissed."
Walters said her water registered much higher lead levels when tested by Virginia Tech University than in sampling that had been done by the city of Flint, with one test hitting 13,500 parts per billion.
She also contacted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for help with the elevated levels, she alleges the state DEQ dismissed a report by the EPA's Miguel Del Toral that warned of the lead problems.
Multiple other state and federal lawsuits have been field previously over the crisis.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the DEQ declined to comment on the lawsuit. The remaining defendants could not be reached for comment.