Jackson residents claim city’s water woes stem from decades of neglect in new lawsuit
Walter Houston unloads a case of water bottles donated in Jackson, Miss., by the Salvation Army to the Mississippi Industries for the Blind. (Leslie Gamboni for NPR)
A new class-action lawsuit has been filed against Jackson, Mississippi city and public officials, alleging that the recent water crisis that left hundreds of thousands of residents without reliable drinking water for more than a month was caused by decades of neglect and mismanagement.
The lawsuit was filed by a group of Jackson residents on Friday in the U.S. District Court’s Southern District of Mississippi, one day after a city-wide boil water notice was lifted, and announced by attorneys working the case on Monday. The suit names the City of Jackson, Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba, former Mayor Tony Yarber, former directors of Public Works Kishia Powell, Robert Miller and Jerriot Smash, and private engineering companies like Siemens Corporation and Trilogy Engineering Services LLC as defendants. Among other things, the plaintiffs are asking for money and a jury trial.
The boil water notice, issued by the Mississippi Department of Health in late July, cited high turbidity, or cloudiness, of water. Residents also dealt with low or no water pressure during that time — aggravated after highly contaminated flood waters from the Pearl River led to a disruption of operations at O.B. Curtis water treatment facility in late August.
But the lawsuit includes claims that the water quality was poor long before the recent pump failure at the city’s main water treatment plant. The case states the water supply was unfit for public consumption due to high levels of lead and other contaminants. It also claims that the water supply has caused personal injury to the plaintiffs including, but not limited to, lead poisoning, income loss, and brain and/or developmental injuries.
“It’s time that the government officials and any other official or company responsible is held accountable, and more importantly that they fix this system and bring clean water to Jackson,” Mark Chalos, the lead counsel for the class-action case, said.
The city of Jackson has yet to issue a response to the lawsuit.
Can’t see PDF below? Click here.
The new lawsuit is not the only one Jackson is facing. Since late last year, nearly 1,800 claims have been filed on behalf of children affected by lead poisoning. The plaintiffs, represented by the same attorneys who won a settlement in Flint, Michigan’s major case of mass lead poisoning, met with lead attorney Corey Stern and others last week to get an update on the ongoing case.
This story was produced by the Gulf States Newsroom, a collaboration among Mississippi Public Broadcasting, WBHM in Alabama and WWNO and WRKF in Louisiana and NPR.
How China, not the U.S., became the main climate solution story in 2025
The U.S. has become a "side character" in the global story of renewable energy, experts say. China dominates the sector, with positive implications for the climate and their economy.
Supreme Court to hear case that could vastly expand presidential powers
The Supreme Court hears arguments in a case about President Trump's firing of a Federal Trade Commissioner. At stake is a 90-year precedent limiting the president's power over independent agencies.
Republicans push high deductible plans and health savings accounts
A Republican call to give Americans cash instead of health insurance subsidies revives an old idea that has left millions with medical debt.
Zelenskyy heads to London for more Ukraine peace talks. Here’s what to know
The talks signal fresh support from European allies. But they follow stalled U.S. negotiations in Miami and comments from President Trump's son suggesting Washington is ready to pull back.
Tributes, not politics, play center stage as Trump hosts the Kennedy Center Honors
President Trump said he was closely involved with picking the honorees, and on Sunday he became the first president to host the Kennedy Center awards ceremony.
Thailand launches airstrikes along border with Cambodia as tensions reignite
Both sides accused the other of breaking a ceasefire that halted fighting earlier this year. Longstanding border disputes erupted into five days of combat in July that killed dozens.
