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Federal judge subpoenas entities over Siemens settlement

By Kaitlin Howell Jul 10, 2025 | 10:22 AM

JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – A federal judge in Mississippi has issued subpoenas to several entities regarding how the City of Jackson spent the funds from the Siemens settlement.

According to court documents, U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate issued the subpoenas on July 9 to the following entities:

  • Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC
  • Winston J. Thompson III & Associates, PLLC
  • Barry W. Howard, Esq.
  • Ice Miller LLP
  • Ted Henifin
  • City of Jackson, Mississippi (Office of the Mayor)
  • City of Jackson Department of Public Works
  • Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)
  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – Region 4
  • U.S. Department of Justice
  • Environmental and Natural Resources Division

In the court documents, the entities have 30 days of service of the subpoena to produce documents, records and communications related to the $89.8 million settlement between the City of Jackson and the Siemens Industry, Inc. Noncompliance could result in contempt proceedings.

Jackson-Siemens-supoena-documentDownload

Former Jackson Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba announced the settlement in February 2020 after the city filed a $255 million lawsuit against the company in June 2019 for a massive fraud operation. The lawsuit was filed after years of Jackson homeowners complaining about outrageous water bills or not receiving bills.

Jackson’s water system is now being led by JXN Water, which is under the leadership of interim Third-Party Manager Ted Henifin. This comes after the Justice Department, on behalf of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), filed a complaint against the City of Jackson in 2022, alleging that the city failed to provide drinking water that is reliably compliant with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) to the system’s customers. 

Henifin recently presented his proposed rate increase before Wingate and the public. JXN Water officials said the average residential customer would see an $8.00 to $9.00 monthly increase.

Henifin previously proposed a budget of more than $148 million at 100% collection rate, which was rejected by the City Council in April 2025. According to Henifin, the existing rates will generate about $115 million, assuming everyone paid their bill.