# Gov. Rick Snyder target of RICO lawsuit over Flint water crisis. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 29, 2016, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-rick-snyder-target-of-rico-lawsuit-over-flint-water-crisis/755999 "2016-05-29T16:01:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2016, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-rick-snyder-target-of-rico-lawsuit-over-flint-water-crisis/755999/1 "2016-05-29T16:01:06Z")
This should be interesting. > **[Gov. Rick Snyder target of RICO lawsuit over Flint water crisis](https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2016/04/gov_rick_snyder_target_of_rico.html)** > > Gov. Rick Snyder, high ranking members of his staff and others are the target of a new federal racketeering lawsuit over the city's water crisis. > [@](#): > > A group of 15 citizens filed the civil lawsuit seeking financial compensation for property damage, loss of business and financial losses attributed to the city’s water crisis; as well as compensatory damages for future medical care and punitive damages. > … > The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, April 6, in Flint U.S. District Court, alleges Snyder, his former Chief of Staff Dennis Muchmore and others attempted to balance the Flint city budget through a pattern of racketeering activity. > > “He wants to run the state like a business,” attorney Marc J. Bern said of Snyder. “Well. The citizens of Flint, as shareholders in the corporation of the state of Michigan, I don’t think they were treated in an appropriate way.” > > The lawsuit alleges that officials misrepresented the suitability of the Flint River water as the city’s drinking water source for roughly two years and billed Flint residents at rates that were the highest in the nation for water that was unusable, resulting in the city’s budget deficit being reversed. [Rico allegations](http://media.mlive.com/newsnow_impact/other/Snyder%20RICO%20allegations.pdf) [118 page lawsuit](http://media.mlive.com/newsnow_impact/other/Snyder%20RICO%20lawsuit.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-rick-snyder-target-of-rico-lawsuit-over-flint-water-crisis/755999/2 "2016-05-30T02:58:45Z")
Government units tend to have strong protections against suits under various interpretations of sovereign immunity, and the agents of government too. Suits like this can happen, but as a general rule, have difficulty getting any traction. Speaking strictly as a matter of general principle, and not having any “inside” knowledge of these suits, I’d have little hope that these suits could get anywhere, utterly regardless of the merits. But we shall see. Maybe. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-rick-snyder-target-of-rico-lawsuit-over-flint-water-crisis/755999/3 "2016-05-30T03:00:34Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Government units tend to have strong protections against suits under various interpretations of sovereign immunity, and the agents of government too. Suits like this can happen, but as a general rule, have difficulty getting any traction. Speaking strictly as a matter of general principle, and not having any “inside” knowledge of these suits, I’d have little hope that these suits could get anywhere, utterly regardless of the merits. > > But we shall see. Maybe. That’s pretty much what I’ve been thinking. Maybe someone like **Bricker** will come along with a legal opinion.