Erin Brockovich, Anderson Et Al V. Pacific Gas & Electric Company
Running head: Erin Brockovich, Andersen v. Pacific
Erin Brockovich
Anderson, et al v. Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Superior Court for the County of San Bernardino, Barstow Division, File BCV 00300 (1993)
Christine K. Horold
Strayer University
Abstract The movie Erin Brockovich (2000) depicts one of the most recognized cases of toxic tort cases in the United States. According to an article in Entertainment Editors “a toxic tort is a special type of personal injury lawsuit in which the plaintiff claims that exposure to a chemical caused the plaintiff’s toxic injury or disease” (freelibrary web site, 2000) In the movie Erin Brockovich, played by Julia Roberts, is assigned to do some research on pro-bono case her employer Ed Masry is handling for the small town of Hinkley (located in San Bernardino Valley. Residents of this small town located outside the Pacific Gas & Electric plant are suspecting that a chemical, especially hexavalent chromium (Chromium 6), is causing the people in this town to be ill. Many people had chronic, unexplained illnesses, and early death; many of them were children. In addition, almost everyone in Hinkley was either currently or previously employed in the nearby PG&E plant. I need to mention that PG&E paid all medical expenses of anyone who became ill in the Hinckley vicinity. Ms. Brockovich consulted with an expert on chemicals at UCLA, and thereafter examined many old records at the Regional Water Board. During this research she discovered that a cleanup and abatement order to PG&E was issued, it required the company to remove hexavalent chromium because it was contaminating the groundwater in that area. So she took it upon herself to obtain some water samples and after the Professor at UCLA examined the papers as well as the water samples he concluded that the levels of chromium in the water supply were indeed responsible for the illnesses, and cancers the town folks were experiencing. Eventually it was determined that
Erin Brockovich
Anderson, et al v. Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Superior Court for the County of San Bernardino, Barstow Division, File BCV 00300 (1993)
Christine K. Horold
Strayer University
Abstract The movie Erin Brockovich (2000) depicts one of the most recognized cases of toxic tort cases in the United States. According to an article in Entertainment Editors “a toxic tort is a special type of personal injury lawsuit in which the plaintiff claims that exposure to a chemical caused the plaintiff’s toxic injury or disease” (freelibrary web site, 2000) In the movie Erin Brockovich, played by Julia Roberts, is assigned to do some research on pro-bono case her employer Ed Masry is handling for the small town of Hinkley (located in San Bernardino Valley. Residents of this small town located outside the Pacific Gas & Electric plant are suspecting that a chemical, especially hexavalent chromium (Chromium 6), is causing the people in this town to be ill. Many people had chronic, unexplained illnesses, and early death; many of them were children. In addition, almost everyone in Hinkley was either currently or previously employed in the nearby PG&E plant. I need to mention that PG&E paid all medical expenses of anyone who became ill in the Hinckley vicinity. Ms. Brockovich consulted with an expert on chemicals at UCLA, and thereafter examined many old records at the Regional Water Board. During this research she discovered that a cleanup and abatement order to PG&E was issued, it required the company to remove hexavalent chromium because it was contaminating the groundwater in that area. So she took it upon herself to obtain some water samples and after the Professor at UCLA examined the papers as well as the water samples he concluded that the levels of chromium in the water supply were indeed responsible for the illnesses, and cancers the town folks were experiencing. Eventually it was determined that
References: Anderson, et al v. Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Superior Court for the County of San Bernardino, Barstow Division, File BCV 00300 (1993) Associated Press (April 2008), PG&E settles poisoning lawsuit, Last of cases linked to Erin Brockovich, page C - 4 of the San Francisco Chronicle, Retrieved April 23, 2009 from: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/04/BUTEVVOD9.DTL Benecke, M., (2003) featuring Barnard, K., Gray, N., Hodges, E pp 20, pp21, Toxicology, Retrieved April 23, 2009 from: http://wiki.benecke.com/index.php?title=200203_Kevin_Barnard%2C_Nichola_Gray_ USA TODAY, Retrieved April 24, 2009 from: http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2006-02-06-pge-settlement- Hand Fall 2004 Volume XII-Issue I, Retrieved April 22, 2009 from: http://www.rso.cornell.edu/ces/vh/fa04visible.pdf April 24, 2009 from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/ 'Erin Brockovich ' Ends Where Landmark Toxic Lawsuit Begins; Victims '...-a060099178 (2000) Overview for Erin Brockovich, Synopsis, Retrieved April 21, 2009 from: