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Michigan to pay $300K to only staffer fired over Flint water

An arbitrator recently said Shekter Smith was wrongly fired by officials who were likely looking for a scapegoat during the scandal.

Credit: AP

FILE- In this Feb. 5, 2018, file photo, defendant Liane Shekter Smith listens during a preliminary examination in the cases of four defendants, all former or current officials from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, in Flint, Mich. Shekter Smith, the only Michigan official fired in the Flint water disaster, was likely a “public scapegoat” who lost her job because of politics, an arbitrator said in ordering $191,880 in back pay and other compensation. (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP, File)

DETROIT — The state of Michigan says it will pay $300,000 to the only employee who was fired as a result of lead-contaminated water in Flint.

Liane Shekter Smith was head of the state's drinking water division in 2014-15 when Flint switched its water source and didn't use corrosion control additives. As a result, lead leached from old pipes.

An arbitrator recently said Shekter Smith was wrongly fired by officials who were likely looking for a scapegoat during the scandal.

The arbitrator awarded about $192,000 in back pay and other compensation, but Michigan agreed to pay even more to close off any possible appeals and end the dispute.

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