FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Former Gov. Rick Snyder can’t dodge an interview with lawyers in civil lawsuits related to the Flint water scandal, a federal appeals court said Tuesday.
The decision also covers Andy Dillon, who was state treasurer during Snyder’s first term.
Snyder and Dillon argued that they can’t be forced to sit through depositions while they’re still trying to get dismissed from lawsuits based on immunity. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed in a 3-0 opinion.
The court said a judge can put limits on certain questions while still allowing lawyers to ask Snyder and Dillon about key facts related to the water switch in Flint.
“It is inappropriate for us ... to issue a prophylactic order to stop these depositions from going forward based on hypothetical horrors before a single problematic question has been asked,” the court said.
Flint’s water was contaminated with lead when the city switched to the Flint River in 2014 and didn’t treat it to reduce corrosion. State regulators were accused of ignoring residents’ complaints and evidence of lead.
