Erin Brockovich is known for helping to win a court case with the largest settlement ever paid in a direct action lawsuit in US history. Despite her lack of formal law school education, Brockovich was a very central person in the construction of the case against Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) of California. Brockovich’s goal was and still is, to show the powerless people that they aren’t powerless, a point of view she proves in the case against PG & E.
In the town of Hinkley in southern California the company PG & E used hexavalent chromium in the water in the cooling towers used at the compressor station to avoid machinery from rusting. The cooling water was stored in palms, and as they were not correctly built the toxic water sank into the ground and blended with the groundwater used by the inhabitants of Hinkley. Even though PG & E knew about this they chose to keep it a secret, and claimed that all the diseases the residents suffered from were due to weak genes and bad lifestyle.
You should see the movie "Erin Brockovich" which is based on the true stroy.
Together with another law company and the one she worked for, Brockovich gathered proofs and built a solid case against PG& E. Over 648 plaintiffs joined the lawsuit, and PG & E arguments started to lose credibility. Fearlessly Erin Brockovich, her coworkers and plaintiff lawyers brought a huge corporation to its knees and a small town to its feet.
It is amazing that she could contribute to winning such an important case without any legal training. Just goes to show how much you can accomplish if you set your mind to it. She did spend a lot of hours working though! Like the way you end your post too. Fearlessly she brought a huge corporation to it's knees. Where did you find this quote?
ReplyDeleteDon't remember where I found it, I just remembered while writing that I had read something similar. So it's not exactly a quote, it’s sort of a mix:)
ReplyDeleteGreat post! You got all the important facts, and did not write about all that is not interesting. Brilliant idea to post the trailer as well, creative!
ReplyDelete"Brockovich’s goal was and still is, to show the powerless people that they aren’t powerless, a point of view she proves in the case against PG & E."
ReplyDelete- this is a great point to include in your blog post. You have reflected well on how her work influenced the town Hinkley which makes me appreciate her work even more. I enjoyed watching the trailer (again, hehe) of the movie that you had linked to you blog entry.