Midland Dam Class Action Trial Comes to a Close
Five years after the tragic and catastrophic Edenville Dam failure, the civil trial for damages has ended.
Sommer Schwartz senior shareholder Jason J. Thompson and associate Paulina Kennedy were part of the trial team presenting the plaintiff’s case, along with an army of support from fellow trial lawyers and professional staff working in the offices of the many law firms involved.
“We started preparing for this trial in November 2025, with over 50 people working full-time,” said Mr. Thompson, who served as lead trial counsel for the class. “Our effectiveness in the courtroom over the past two-and-a-half weeks was the result of various law firms coming together as a close-knit team to represent the thousands of families who lost property, homes, and businesses.”
In the next phase of litigation, the Michigan Court of Claims will decide the issue of liability after completing a full review of the evidence submitted by both sides, including more than 450 exhibits and the testimony of 20 experts and other witnesses.
The State of Michigan, the defendant in the case, has continued to deny any liability for the dam failure and its consequences. There were no genuine settlement discussions between the parties before trial.
The entire trial was livestreamed, and viewers can watch recordings of each day’s proceedings on the Michigan Court of Claims’ YouTube channel.
Jason Thompson is a nationally board certified trial attorney and co-chairs Sommers Schwartz’s Complex Litigation Department. He has a formidable breadth of litigation experience, including class action and multidistrict litigation (MDL), and practices nationwide in both state and federal courts.
