A judge has refused to delay a pair of class-action lawsuits against the federal government over flood damage during Harvey. Homeowners are suing over the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to release water from the Addicks and Barker Dams. Chief Judge Susan G. Braden of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims issued the ruling in Houston.
Braden previously ordered the thousands of claims against Corps consolidated into two class-action lawsuits – one dealing with plaintiffs upstream of the dams, the other with those downstream.
Attorneys for the Justice Department requested a year’s delay in the trial. By Judge Braden’s reading, that request came with an implied threat to appeal immediately to a higher court unless she granted the government’s request.