- Conference Speakers
Topics:
- Inspirational
Erin Brockovich
Following the success of the film in which Julia Roberts played the title role, Erin Brockovich is a household name, an inspirational reminder of the power of the human spirit and an exceptional motivational speaker. Her incredible story of seeing an injustice, taking on the bad guys and winning, has not only been a victory for others, but has taken her own life into a different arena.
Background
With a succession of unrewarding jobs, the twice-divorced mother of 3, had the good luck to meet Ed Masry when his firm Masry & Vititoe took on her car accident case, in which she had been seriously injured.
The $17,000 settlement awarded her, did not begin to cover Erin’s debts and unable to find work, she begged Masry & Vititoe to hire her as a file clerk. Having stumbled across some medical records on a pro bono real estate case that piqued her curiosity and getting permission from Ed Masry, she began to look into the matter.
Hinkley Investigation
Erin’s solo investigation eventually established that the health of countless people who lived in and around Hinkley, California in the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s had been devastated by exposure to toxic Chromium 6. The Chromium 6 had leaked into the groundwater from the nearby Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s Compressor Station. In 1996, as a result of the largest direct action lawsuit of its kind, spearheaded by Erin Brockovich and Ed Masry, the giant utility was ordered to make the largest legal settlement in US history, paying out some $333 million in damages to more than 600 Hinkley residents.
Erin Brockovich – the Film
The story of Erin’s investigation, legal triumph and personal issues were dramatized in the hit movie Erin Brockovich. Released in March 2000 by Universal Studios, it starred Julia Roberts as Erin and Albert Finney as Edward Masry.
Today
No longer a file clerk, Erin now serves as director of environmental research at Masry and Vititoe, where she is currently involved in other major environmental lawsuits that she put together. She has been with Masry and Vititoe for ten years and has spearheaded many other environmental cases.
