( September 24, 2025, 1:29 PM EDT) -- DETROIT — A federal judge in Michigan has denied the U.S. government’s attempt to dismiss the claims of nine of the 11 bellwether plaintiffs in the $722.4 million Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) lawsuit against the government related to the lead-contaminated water crisis in Flint, ruling that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency knew that its negligence regarding its responsibility could lead to harm and that the plaintiffs relied on the promise that the government would protect their water from harmful contaminants....