Civil actions movie#
" 'Patch Adams' Just What Holiday Ordered". Some of the historical characters involved in the case and described in the book, including Charles Nesson, Mark Phillips, Rikki Klieman and Teresa Padro, have been removed from the film version, along with the plot points that they contributed to the actual case.
Civil actions trial#
later findings by the Environmental Protection Agency and its potential consequences that might have allowed the plaintiffs another trial against Beatrice, and which did ultimately lead to a conviction of perjury against John Riley, and improper conduct for Mary Ryan, are referred to only briefly in the epilogue. JSTOR ( August 2012) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Īs with many such works, the plotline of the film has been simplified from the book, e.g.Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.įind sources: "A Civil Action" film – news
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification. It takes Jan several years to settle his debts, and he now practices environmental law in New Jersey. The files are archived while Jan later files for bankruptcy.Ī postscript reveals that the EPA, building on Jan's work on the case, later brought its own enforcement action against Beatrice and Grace, forcing them to pay millions to clean up the land and the groundwater. He manages to find the last key witness to the case, but lacks resources and courage to appeal the judgement. Jan ends up alone, living in a small apartment and running a small-time law practice. The families are deeply disappointed, and Jan's partners dissolve their partnership, effectively breaking up the firm. The plaintiffs are forced to accept a settlement with Grace that barely covers the expense involved in trying the case, leaving Jan and his partners broke. Pressures take their toll, with Jan and his partners going deeply into debt.Īfter a lengthy trial, the case is dismissed in favor of Beatrice, after Jan turned down an offer of $20 million from Beatrice attorney Jerry Facher during jury deliberations. He allows his pride to take over, making outrageous demands and deciding that he must win at all costs. Jan stubbornly declines settlement offers, gradually coming to believe that the case is about more than just money.
Civil actions professional#
The lawyers for Beatrice and Grace are not easy to intimidate, a judge makes a key ruling against the plaintiffs, and soon Jan and his partners find themselves in a position where their professional and financial survival has been staked on the outcome of the case. However, the case develops a life of its own and takes over the lives of Jan and his firm. Grace and Company-thinking that the case could possibly earn him millions and boost his firm's reputation.īringing a class action lawsuit in federal court, Jan represents families who demand an apology and a clean-up of contaminated areas. Jan decides to go forward against two giant corporations which own the tanneries- Beatrice Foods and W.
After originally rejecting a seemingly unprofitable case, Jan finds a major environmental issue involving groundwater contamination that has great legal potential and realizes the local tanneries could be responsible for several deadly cases of leukemia. Cocky Boston attorney Jan Schlichtmann and his small firm of personal injury lawyers are asked by Woburn resident Anne Anderson to take legal action against those responsible. Duvall was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance.Įnvironmental toxicants in the city of Woburn, Massachusetts contaminate the area's water supply and become linked to a number of deaths of local children. 431 (denial of defendants' motion to dismiss). The first reported decision in the case is at 96 F.R.D.
The case involved is Anne Anderson, et al., v. A lawsuit was filed over industrial operations that appeared to have caused fatal cases of leukemia and cancer, as well as a wide variety of other health problems, among the citizens of the city. The film and court case revolve around the issue of trichloroethylene, an industrial solvent, and its contamination of a local aquifer. Macy, Kathleen Quinlan, and Tony Shalhoub, it tells the true story of a court case about environmental pollution that took place in Woburn, Massachusetts in the 1980s. Starring John Travolta, Robert Duvall, James Gandolfini, Dan Hedaya, John Lithgow, William H. A Civil Action is a 1998 American legal drama film written and directed by Steven Zaillian, based on the 1995 book of the same name by Jonathan Harr.
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