Impact Fund Sponsor Huntington Bank serves in pro bono role for Flint Water Crisis Settlement

Robyn Griffin, Senior Managing Director, National Settlement Team, The Huntington National Bank

Flint, Michigan, located about an hour outside of Detroit, is a city where 42% of the population lives below the poverty line, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.  From 2014 to 2019, the drinking water for Flint was contaminated with lead.  In 2014, in an effort to save money, the city switched water sources from Lake Huron to the Flint River.  Residents complained about the taste, odor, and appearance of the river water.  State and city officials failed to follow federal requirements for treating and testing the drinking water for contaminants.  As result of the water crisis, numerous class actions were filed in 2015 and 2016 in the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan.

In early 2021, a $641 million settlement between the residents and businesses of Flint and various government defendants received Preliminary Approval by the Court. Nearly 90,000 Flint residents were impacted by the Flint water crisis, and the settlement will create a compensation fund to help those affected, predominantly children.  Huntington Bank, selected by Special Master Deborah Greenspan, is working with Counsel, the Claims Administrator, and the Court in support of the settlement fund for the victims.  As a leader in the community, Huntington volunteered to serve as escrow agent and distribution bank on a pro bono basis.  Huntington has also committed to partner with local leaders and community organizations to identify financial and socioeconomic barriers faced in the region.

Nearly 90,000 Flint residents were impacted by the Flint water crisis, and the settlement will create a compensation fund to help those affected, predominantly children.

Huntington’s purpose is to make people’s lives better, help businesses thrive, and strengthen the communities that we serve. Huntington has more branches than any other bank in Genesee County providing convenient access for settlement claimants. In support of these branches and of the community, Huntington employs over 600 colleagues in our Flint offices. The class members of the Flint Water Crisis Class Action Litigation are customers, colleagues, friends, families, and neighbors.  For Huntington, this is personal. 

More information about the Flint Water Crisis Settlement is available here: https://www.officialflintwatersettlement.com/

In all class action settlements, Huntington recognizes the importance of Class Counsel’s fiduciary role, and Huntington provides a full suite of financial products, services, and support to help lawyers navigate through every step of the process.  During the last 20 years, Huntington’s National Settlement Team has handled more than 3,000 settlement funds for government regulators, law firms, and claims administrators, including some of the largest, and most high-profile, class action settlements in history.