Jury can't reach verdict in trial of Flint engineering companies

• The state reached a settlement with the victims in 2021, agreeing to pay $626 million.

State of play: Four people who were children during the water crisis sued two engineering companies — Veolia North America and Lockwood, Andrews & Newman — for not doing enough to get the city to treat the water or to return to another supplier, according to AP.

• The companies, which performed work at the water plant, were not part of the massive settlement reached last year.

Driving the news: After months of trial, the jury began deliberations in late July.

• Unable to reach a verdict, the jury said in a note that "For the physical and emotional health of the jurors, we don’t believe we can continue with further deliberations … further deliberations will only result in stress and anxiety," according to the Detroit Free Press.