Wish we had state funds to defend us.
State of Michigan outside legal fees for Flint water crisis projected to hit
$21M Paul Egan , Detroit Free Press LANSING -- The Flint drinking water crisis
has become an ever-increasing fee bonanza for Michigan attorneys, as the
state's outside criminal and civil defense fees are now expected to hit $21
million,
with more than $13.3 million spent to date. Both those numbers are expected to
increase further before legal controversies related to the April 2014 lead
contamination of Flint's drinking water supply, which occurred while the city
was under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager, are resolved.
Attorney General Bill Schuette, who has $5.2 million in outside legal
contracts'related to his criminal investigation of the Flint crisis, said at a
recent
news conference he will need unspecified'additional funds to cover the
prosecution phase of his'investigation, which has spent more than $4.2 million
to
date. More: Flint water probe charges reach highest levels Family of Flint
water victim distressed about charges The numbers also don't include expected
state reimbursements to the City of Flint for the costs of the city's outside
civil defense fees and criminal defense fees for current and former city
employees charged in the case. On Tuesday, the State Administrative Board
approved a $4 million increase for outside Flint legal contracts for the
Department
of Environmental Quality, bringing the cap for that department's outside
criminal and civil legal defense fees to $8.5 million. Some of the Flint outside
legal costs are being charged to a litigation fund that contains proceeds from
lawsuits the state has won. Other costs are coming out of the departments'
regular operating budgets. State officials have not specified what, if any,
programs have been cut to cover the Flint legal costs. Gov. Rick Snyder has
spent $3.1 million so far on outside criminal defense fees and $1.1 million on
outside civil defense fees, spokeswoman Anna Heaton said Thursday. Those
two contracts have a combined cap of $4.9 million. At the Department of Health
and Human Services, where Director Nick Lyon was charged with involuntary
manslaughter on June 14 in connection with what Schuette alleges is a death
from Legionnaires' disease related to the water crisis, outside legal spending
has hit $1.1 million against a $2.3 million cap, spokeswoman Jennifer Eisner
said Thursday. And at the state Treasury Department, outside legal spending
has topped $43,000 against a $75,000 cap, spokesman Ron Leix said. Schuette has
brought criminal charges against 15 defendants, of whom 10 are current
or former state employees, two are former state-appointed emergency managers,
and three are current or former City of Flint employees. Just as the state
taxpayers are spending millions on criminal defense services for Snyder, who
has not been charged in the crisis, the state is paying for criminal defense
attorneys for several current or former state officials who have not been
charged, records show. The DEQ has spent about $260,000 for criminal defense
attorneys to advise former DEQ director Dan Wyant and about $203,000 for
criminal attorneys for former public information officer Brad Wurfel, records
show. At DHHS, the department has spent about $300,000 for criminal defense
lawyers for former chief deputy director Tim Becker and 12 lower-ranking
department
officials who have not been charged, records show. Those employees are Kurt
Krause; Susan Bohm; Shannon Johnson; Sarah Lyon Callo; Cristin Larder; Jay
Fiedler; Patricia McKane; Jim Collins; Sue Moran; Joe Collins; Tim Bolen; and
Linda Dykema, the records show. Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or
pegan@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.
Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4.
