JACKSON, Miss. (Legal Newsline) — Residents of Jackson, Miss., are claiming negligence by the mayor, former mayor and other local officials over the city's contaminated water supply.
Priscilla Sterling, Raine Becker, Shawn Miller and John Bennett, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, filed a complaint Sept. 16 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern Division of Mississippi against The City of Jackson, Chokwe A. Lumumba, Tony Yarber, Trilogy, Siemens Industry and others alleging negligence and other claims.
The plaintiffs, who have all been residents of Jackson and regularly consumed the city's drinking water, allege in their complaint that their drinking water "has been neglected for decades." They allege that the neglect of the city's water supply left them without water for making powdered baby formula, cooking, showering or laundry and caused them to go for periods without water pressure and not being able to flush their toilets.
The plaintiffs further allege that the City of Jackson's water supply was not fit for human consumption and exposed them to lead and other contaminants, as well as caising them to suffer malnutrition, hair loss, skin rashes, digestive issues, mental anguish and other health issues. They claim Jackson's former Mayor Yarber and the city's current Mayor Lumumba made policy decisions regarding the city's water source that caused a public health crisis.
The plaintiffs also claim the city's former public works directors and other city staff were negligent for delivering unsafe water to residents. They allege Trilogy, which managed and constructed Jackson's water and wastewater, as well as Siemens, which provided water equipment, were also negligent in their actions.
The plaintiffs seek monetary relief of more than $5 million, trial by jury, interest and all other just relief. They are represented by Robert Gibbs of Gibbs Travis PLLC in Jackson, Mark Chalos and Kenneth Byrd of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Berstein LLP in Nashville, Tennessee, Tiseme Zegeye, Jacob Polin and Amelia Haselkorn of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Berstein LLP in San Francisco; Stuart Talley of Kershaw Talley Barlow PC in Sacramento, Calif.; and Larry Moffett of The Law Office of Larry D. Moffett PLLC in Oxford, Miss.