Appeal pursued in dispute over Detroit water shutoffs

DETROIT (AP) — Critics of Detroit’s water shutoffs aren’t giving up.

They’re appealing court rulings that offered no relief to people who lost service over unpaid bills.

During Detroit’s bankruptcy last year, Judge Steven Rhodes said there was no right to water.

He said he also didn’t have the power to keep taps open.

Rhodes’ decision was upheld in September by U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman.

A notice of appeal to an appeals court in Cincinnati was filed Oct. 9.

The next steps will take months.

After bad publicity and protests over shutoffs, Detroit last year announced payment plans and other ways for poor residents to maintain service.

But there was no sweeping moratorium on shutoffs.