Most of you have read about the Flint Michigan lead contaminated drinking water. This tragedy was caused by budgetary cut-backs and an unprecedented decision by the city to eliminate a critical additive to the drinking water distribution system designed to keep lead from old pipes from leaching into drinking water.
State agencies and the Regional EPA are also implicated. There are many "responsible parties" but it may be difficult for citizens to sue for damages, which include dramatic brain injuries to young children. The reason for the difficulty is that there are several legal concepts at play: sovereign immunity and official immunity and gross negligence, Some lawyers feel that gross negligence provides an exemption to sovereign immunity protection. An article in the Washington Post on February 11, 2016
discussed this situation. Look into these concepts: sovereign immunity, official immunity, gross negligence and post what you learned. What do you think makes the strongest case?