What is the movie Erin Brockovich about?
Erin Brockovich (2000) An unemployed single mother becomes a legal assistant and almost single-handedly brings down a California power company accused of polluting a city's water supply.
Is the movie Brockovich a true story?
The film is a dramatization of the true story of Erin Brockovich, portrayed by Julia Roberts, who fought against the energy corporation Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) regarding its culpability for the Hinkley groundwater contamination incident. The film was a box-office success, and gained a positive critical reaction.
What happened to Erin Brockovich’s town?
Hinkley is still best known as the “Erin Brockovich town.” In 1996 a group of residents famously won a massive direct-action arbitration against Pacific Gas and Electric with the help of Brockovich, a savvy single mom and Los Angeles legal clerk.
What does Erin Brockovich say when she comes to the meeting?
Erin apologizes and says she's coming to the town meeting, sick or not. Excellent Movie! Julia Roberts did an excellent job of Erin Brockovich which is true story about a woman trying to make a difference in the water-pollution that takes place in a certain town.
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Is Hinkley CA still contaminated?
“At some point in the next few years we're going to get some closure,” Banks said. But today there's little left in Hinkley beyond some scattered homes and acres of alfalfa and other grasses, planted to help clean the contamination. “You had a great community out here and now it's gone,” said resident Roger Killian.
What was the settlement in Erin Brockovich?
The case was settled in 1996 for (US) $333 million, the largest settlement ever paid in a direct-action lawsuit in United States history to that date.
What happened to Hinkley California?
From 1952 to 1966, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) dumped about 370 million gallons (1,400 million litres) of chromium-tainted wastewater into unlined wastewater spreading ponds around the town of Hinkley, California, located in the Mojave Desert about 120 miles north-northeast of Los Angeles.
Is the real Erin Brockovich still alive?
She currently lives in Agoura Hills, California, in the same house she purchased in 1996 with her money from her settlement.
How much did Erin Brockovich make on Hinkley case?
a $333 millionThe 2000 movie "Erin Brockovich" was based on a 1996 case that ended with a $333 million settlement on behalf of more than 600 Hinkley residents. Two years ago, PG&E agreed to pay $295 million to settle other lawsuits involving about 1,100 people.
How accurate is the Erin Brockovich movie?
probably 98% accurateOn her website, Brockovich says the film is "probably 98% accurate". While the general facts of the story are accurate, there are some minor discrepancies between actual events and the movie, as well as a number of controversial and disputed issues more fundamental to the case.
Did the residents of Hinkley get their money?
Under their agreement with with Ed Masry (who is played in the film by Albert Finney) and two other law firms, the lawyers received 40 per cent of the settlement, or $133m. That should have left $196m for the victims, or roughly $300,000 each.
How much did Hinkley residents get from PG&E?
A pipe is one of the few signs that houses once stood on the property where Pacific Gas & Electric bought and razed them after the company was found to have polluted the ground water with cancer-causing hexavalent chromium for 30 years.
What does chromium 6 do to the body?
Even in small amounts, chromium-6 can cause skin burns, pneumonia, complications during childbirth and stomach cancer. While the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies chromium-6 as a known carcinogen, there is no federal standard on the maximum amount of chromium-6.
How much did each Hinkley residents get?
Walker said she knew Hinkley residents who received as little as $10,000 from the settlement — and one that received $2.5 million.
How much did Ed Masry get from PG&E?
PG&E agreed to settle after the arbitrators awarded the first 39 cases $133 million. Mr. Masry's firm got $40 million.
Does Erin Brockovich still work for Ed Masry?
Brockovich, who still works for Masry as his research director, testified in the Van Nuys courtroom of Judge Stanley Weisberg that two key pieces of evidence offered by Cohen's lawyer did not strike her as sexual harassment.
How much did each Hinkley residents get?
Walker said she knew Hinkley residents who received as little as $10,000 from the settlement — and one that received $2.5 million.
How much did Ed Masry get from PG&E?
PG&E agreed to settle after the arbitrators awarded the first 39 cases $133 million. Mr. Masry's firm got $40 million.
How much money did Erin Brockovich get for her clients?
In 1996, the case was settled for $333 million -- the largest ever paid in a direct-action lawsuit at the time. In 2001, Julia Roberts won an Oscar for best actress for her portrayal of the relentless and determined Brockovich. The film ended with the historic settlement.
Did Erin Brockovich actually get in a car accident?
Shortly after her divorce, Brockovich was involved in a severe car accident that necessitated her having neck surgery. She then moved to Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley, where she was referred by a friend to the law firm Masry & Vititoe, whom she hired to represent her in her accident case.
Who was responsible for the Hinkley leak?
In the ’90s she collected much of the nuts-and-bolts information about the chromium-6 leak that was attributed to Erin Brockovich in the movie adaptation of the town’s story. (Walker figured so prominently in the story of Hinkley that, in its dramatization, she says her actions were spread over five characters.)
Where did Penny Harper live?
Penny Harper moved part-time to Hinkley from Los Angeles in 1974, buying 10 acres of land as a “weekend retreat where there was no smog or traffic or people.” She would bring gallons of water back to L.A. from the well on her land. She was told the water didn’t have to be cleaned with the scores of various chemicals used at big city water treatment facilities. Once she found a decent job in the Hinkley area, she moved there full-time.
What is Hinkley known for?
Hinkley is still best known as the “Erin Brockovich town.” In 1996 a group of residents famously won a massive direct-action arbitration against Pacific Gas and Electric with the help of Brockovich, a savvy single mom and Los Angeles legal clerk. The utility company was found liable for dumping hexavalent chromium (aka chromium-6), a carcinogen used to suppress rust formation at the Hinkley gas compressor station, into an unlined pond in the ’50s and ’60s. The chemical seeped into the town’s groundwater. PG&E hid the crisis and misled the community on the effects of that specific type of chromium and its possible connection to health problems in the town.
Is Hinkley a ghost town?
To call Hinkley a ghost town would be misleading; ghost towns have abandoned buildings. But PG&E bought most of the homes in Hinkley on contaminated land and bulldozed them to avoid squatters. Successive rounds of real estate buyouts have reduced the population to less than half of what it was in 2012. Even with ongoing cleanup efforts, hexavalent chromium haunts the town — potential new residents know Hinkley’s history, and those still there fear the ever-present threat of further deception or mismanagement in the remediation process.
When was Erin Brockovich's movie "Erin Brockovich" made?
Courtesy of Erin Brockovich. Erin Brockovich on set of the movie "Erin Brockovich" in 2001. “We're still talking about this, and that movie came out 21 years ago. And it was almost before its time because it was about environmental pollution that we are in the throes of today,” Brockovich.
What is Erin Brockovich known for?
Erin Brockovich quickly became known for her spunky personality and determination. “Everywhere I was going in this little community, somebody had asthma, a complaint of a chronic cough, recurring bronchitis, recurring rashes, unusual joint aches, nosebleeds,” Brockovich told “20/20” in a new interview.
What did Brockovich say about the ghost town?
Brockovich added, “Everything's boarded. It's a ghost town. That's a good way to end a community in America and poison it and its people.”
How much did Brockovich pay for the PG&E case?
In 1996, the case was settled for $333 million -- the largest ever paid in a direct-action lawsuit at the time.
Why is Brockovich so famous?
Brockovich became a household name after she publicized the water crisis in Hinkley, California. She faced Pacific Gas & Electric in a multi-million dollar lawsuit that eventually inspired a movie.
Where does Penny Harper live?
Harper said she bought 10 acres in Hinkley in 1974. She has lived on her land, now with her rescue dog Mars, who had drank the well water for years but has since switched to purified water. ABC. Current resident Penny Harper of Hinkley, California.
Who played Donna Jensen in the movie?
The character inspired by Walker in the film, Donna Jensen, played by Marg Helgenberger, was awarded $5 million.
Storyline
Erin Brockovich-Ellis is an unemployed single mother, desperate to find a job, but is having no luck. This losing streak even extends to a failed lawsuit against a doctor in a car accident she was in. With no alternative, she successfully browbeats her lawyer to give her a job in compensation for the loss.
Did you know
The real Erin Brockovich-Ellis claimed that the film was 98-99% accurate.
Who is Miles O'Brien?
Miles O’Brien is a veteran, independent journalist who focuses on science, technology and aerospace.
How much did Roberta get from the settlement?
Roberta is not allowed to say how much she got from the $333 million dollar settlement that gave the screenwriters such a nice bow to wrap up the movie. It was, however, enough to allow her and her husband to build a new home on a hill overlooking Hinkley.
Where is Erin Brockovich from?
She has two brothers, Frank Jr. and Thomas (1954–1992), and a sister, Jodie. She graduated from Lawrence High School, then attended Kansas State University, in Manhattan , Kansas, and graduated with an Associate in Applied Arts Degree from Wade College in Dallas, Texas.
What documentary did Brockovich appear in?
Brockovich had a more extensive role in the 2012 documentary Last Call at the Oasis, which focused on not only water pollution but also the overall state of water scarcity as it relates to water policy in the United States.
How much did Brockovich get paid for the case?
The case was settled in 1996 for US$ 333 million, the largest settlement ever paid in a direct-action lawsuit in United States history. Masry & Vititoe, the law firm for which Brockovich was a legal clerk, received $133.6 million of that settlement, and Brockovich herself received a settlement of $2 million.
What lawsuit did Brockovich and Masry file against the school district?
Brockovich and Masry alleged that 300 cancer cases were linked to the oil wells. Subsequent testing and epidemiological investigation failed to corroborate a substantial link, and Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Wendell Mortimer granted summary judgment against the plaintiffs. In May 2007, the School District announced that it was to be paid $450,000 as reimbursement for legal expenses.
Who played Erin Brockovich in Pacific Gas and Electric?
Brockovich's work in bringing litigation against Pacific Gas & Electric was the focus of the 2000 feature film, Erin Brockovich, starring Julia Roberts in the title role. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards: Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Writing in a Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. Roberts won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Erin Brockovich. Erin Brockovich herself had a cameo role as a waitress named Julia R.
Where is Brockovich's storage facility?
In early 2016, Brockovich became involved in potential litigation against Southern California Gas for a large methane leak from its underground storage facility near the community of Porter Ranch north of Los Angeles.
Was Brockovich cut from the Simpsons?
However, Brockovich's role was ultimately cut from the film.
When did the Hinkley case settle?
The Hinkley case settled in 1996 and I was approached about the movie and giving up my rights in 1995. It wasn’t until late 1997 or 1998 that they really started gearing up for the movie, finding writer Susannah Grant and the director Steven Soderberg and eventually Julia Roberts.
Did I dress that way?
Yes, I did dress that way. I was actually taken back by the response of many people regarding my wardrobe. I just dressed that way because it was fun and I liked it. I was taught never to judge a book by its cover. My clothing was nothing more than a cover and I have never thought that anyone was smart or stupid or anything else by the way they chose to dress.
Did I have a potty mouth in the movie?
Yes, I had a potty mouth in the movie and I still do. On a couple of occasions I have caught the headline that I am a trash talking crusader. If you are referring to my potty mouth then I am the trash talker. No, I am not trash from the other side of the tracks. I come from quite an educated family.
Is Erin Brockovich true?
Julia won an Academy Award® for her portrayal of me. People ask me all the time, is the movie true and accurate? YES, the movie was true and probably 98% accurate. They took very few creative licenses.
Is Julia Roberts based on a true story?
Julia Roberts stars in this legal drama based on the true story of a woman who helped win the largest settlement ever paid in a direct-action lawsuit. Erin Brockovich (Roberts) is a single mother of three who, after losing a personal injury lawsuit, asks her lawyer, Ed Masry (Albert Finney), if he can help her find a job. Ed gives her work as a file clerk in his office, and she runs across some information on a little-known case filed against Pacific Gas and Electric.
