Amicus Brief in Detroit Right to Water Case
Lyda et al. v. City of Detroit
The International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR-Net) was granted leave from the U.S. District Court to be recognized as amicus curiae in the case of Lyda et al. v. City of Detroit, in support of residents challenging the City of Detroit’s decision to cut off water supply to thousands of households unable to pay their bills.
The City of Detroit disconnected approximately 30,000 households of low-income persons and persons living in poverty from the municipal water supply, leaving them without access to drinking water and water for toilets and basic sanitation.
This action shocked the international community and prompted the visit of two UN Special Rapporteurs to assess the situation in October 2014. Despite the onset of winter, local groups report that the City has continued water shut-offs at the homes of low-income families, the elderly, and the infirmed.
The intervention was coordinated by the ESCR-Net Strategic Litigation Working Group and included Center for the Study of Law, Justice and Society (Dejusticia), the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR), the Social Rights Advocacy Centre (SRAC), and the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI).
Photo credit: www.voiceofdetroit.net