Defense Strikes Back In Records Dispute In Flint Water Case

DETROIT (AP) — Lawyers for former Michigan health director Nick Lyon are vigorously opposing an effort to put his Flint water criminal case on hold for six months, saying it's a sign of the prosecution team's "dysfunction."

The attorney general's office says it needs a timeout so it can dig through 23 boxes of records found in the basement of a state building. But defense attorney Chip Chamberlain doubts the records are relevant to Lyon's case. He says prosecutors were aware of the boxes in February.

Lyon has been ordered to trial on involuntary manslaughter charges related to an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in the Flint area in 2014-15. He's accused of failing to timely inform the public about the outbreak, which has been tied to Flint's use of the Flint River.

A judge is considering Lyon's request to dismiss the case.

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