Former Michigan Gov. Snyder Will Take 5th if Called to Testify in Water Trial

Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, who faces misdemeanor charges in the Flint water crisis, wants to avoid testifying in a civil trial involving engineering firms that are being sued over liability for lead-contaminated water.

Snyder’s attorneys said he would invoke his right to remain silent if called as a witness in the ongoing civil trial in federal court in Ann Arbor.

“To be clear, Gov. Snyder maintains his innocence,” Brian Lennon said in a court filing. “But as the Supreme Court has recognized, the Fifth Amendment privilege is available to the innocent.”

A judge has scheduled a March 15 hearing on Snyder’s request that a subpoena be set aside, the Detroit Free Press reported.

Snyder earlier sat for a deposition, which is an on-the-record interview with lawyers in the lawsuit. But that was before he was charged with two misdemeanor counts of willful neglect of duty, Lennon noted.

Attorneys for four Flint children claim Veolia North America and Lockwood, Andrews & Newman were negligent in not doing more to get the city to properly treat water that was being pulled from the Flint River in 2014-15. Corrosive water caused lead to leach from service lines serving homes.

They were not part of a $626 million settlement between Flint residents and the state of Michigan, the city and two other parties.