Current:Home > News‘Document dump’ by Flint water prosecutors leads to contempt finding-InfoLens
‘Document dump’ by Flint water prosecutors leads to contempt finding
View Date:2024-12-23 18:28:59
DETROIT (AP) — Michigan taxpayers will be on the hook for a financial penalty after state attorneys violated a court order by distributing protected documents in the Flint water prosecution.
A judge last Friday found Attorney General Dana Nessel’s agency in civil contempt.
The department “simply did a large ‘document dump’” without any meaningful review of the records, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Thomas Tucker said.
What does a bankruptcy court have to do with efforts to pursue criminal charges in Flint’s lead-contaminated water?
Armed with a search warrant in 2019, prosecutors in the attorney general’s office obtained documents from computer servers controlled by other state attorneys who had represented former Gov. Rick Snyder in Flint water matters.
The search apparently swept up sensitive records from the Detroit bankruptcy, in which the Snyder administration played a key role, as well as attorney-client communications of other state officials.
The records, in electronic form, were then given to people charged with crimes in the Flint water scandal in 2021. Prosecutors claimed they had an obligation to share them with defense lawyers.
The attorney general’s office argued that prosecutors were unaware of orders protecting the bankruptcy documents.
Nonetheless, the “entire department at all times was bound to comply,” the judge said.
Tucker said the state must pay Snyder’s legal fees for raising the issue. An email seeking comment was sent to the attorney general’s office Tuesday.
Snyder was among nine people charged with crimes in the Flint water scandal. But the cases appear dead after the Michigan Supreme Court said a one-judge grand jury cannot be used to file charges.
Flint, while under the control of Snyder-appointed managers, used the Flint River for drinking water in 2014-15 without properly treating it to reduce corrosion. Lead leached from old pipes and contaminated the system.
___
Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwritez
veryGood! (4135)
Related
- Cowboys owner Jerry Jones responds to CeeDee Lamb's excuse about curtains at AT&T Stadium
- French presidential couple attend funeral service of teacher slain in school attack
- Shootings in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood kill 1 person and wound 3 others, fire officials say
- The Guardian fires longtime cartoonist after allegations of antisemitic imagery
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Mixed Use
- Popular use of obesity drugs like Ozempic could change consumer habits
- Erin Foster Accuses Chad Michael Murray of Cheating on Her With Sophia Bush
- Masha Amini, the Kurdish-Iranian woman who died in police custody, is awarded EU human rights prize
- McDonald's Version: New Bestie Bundle meals celebrate Swiftie friendship bracelets
- Lupita Nyong’o and Boyfriend Selema Masekela Break Up After One Year of Dating
Ranking
- Todd Golden to continue as Florida basketball coach despite sexual harassment probe
- Natalee Holloway's Mom Slams Joran van der Sloot's Apology After His Murder Confession
- 2 Kansas prison employees fired, 6 punished after they allegedly mocked and ignored injured female inmate
- IAEA team gathers marine samples near Fukushima as treated radioactive water is released into sea
- Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says next year will be his last in office; mum on his plans afterward
- 'We couldn't save Rani': Endangered elephant dies at St. Louis Zoo after unknown heart changes
- Gwyneth Paltrow Reveals How Daughter Apple Martin Changed Her Outlook on Beauty
- 3 endangered sawfish born at SeaWorld – the first successful captive birth of the species in the U.S.
Recommendation
-
Veterans Day restaurant deals 2024: More than 80 discounts, including free meals
-
Anne Kirkpatrick, a veteran cop but newcomer to New Orleans, gets city council OK as police chief
-
Maryland police investigating fatal shooting of a circuit court judge
-
Minnesota’s budget surplus grows to a projected $2.4 billion, fueling debate over spending
-
Powerball winning numbers for November 11 drawing: Jackpot hits $103 million
-
Father arrested for setting New Orleans house fire that killed his 3 children in domestic dispute, police say
-
As Israel-Hamas war rages, Israelis can now travel to US for 90 days without getting a visa
-
California Gov. Gavin Newsom to make a one-day visit to Israel en route to China