ROANOKE, Va. (AP) - A judge has ruled that a Virginia Tech researcher who helped expose the Flint, Michigan, water crisis can’t silence critics with a federal defamation lawsuit.
The Roanoke Times reports that U.S. District Court Judge Michael Urbanski dismissed Marc Edwards’ $3 million lawsuit against three critics Wednesday. The engineering professor and a team of students helped expose lead contamination in the city’s water supply in 2015. The suit was sparked by a letter signed by more than 60 Flint residents that accuses Edwards of interfering with efforts to self-organize, abusing authority and insulting them.
Urbanski writes in a 115-page opinion that Edwards’ lawsuit failed to state a valid claim against his critics. He says the statements “plainly qualify as constitutionally protected opinion” and notes no reasonable reader would think it was factual.
People were interested in these podcasts
Please read our comment policy before commenting.