Meghan Hodges
The 1998 legal drama A Civil Action, written and directed by Steven Zaillian, is based on a true story of environmental pollution in Woburn, Massachusetts. The film recounts the landmark 1986 case in which trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene were found to be contaminating the town's water supply. The case inspired similar environmental lawsuits across the country, including in Tom's River, New Jersey, where a cancer cluster affected over 100 children.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Movie Name | A Civil Action |
| Year | 1998 |
| Director | Steven Zaillian |
| Main Cast | John Travolta |
| Based on | The 1995 non-fiction book by Jonathan Harr |
| Based on True Story | Yes |
| Location | Woburn, Massachusetts |
| Plot | A Boston personal injury lawyer takes on an environmental case involving polluted drinking water that has poisoned children |
| Real-life Inspiration | Jan Schlichtmann |
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What You'll Learn
- The 1998 film 'A Civil Action' is based on a polluted river in Woburn, Massachusetts
- The film is based on a true story
- John Travolta plays a Boston personal injury lawyer
- The film is based on the 1995 book by Jonathan Harr
- The film highlights the environmental pollution that took place in Woburn, Massachusetts
The 1998 film 'A Civil Action' is based on a polluted river in Woburn, Massachusetts
The 1998 film A Civil Action is based on a polluted river in Woburn, Massachusetts. The film is a legal drama written and directed by Steven Zaillian and stars John Travolta as a Boston personal injury lawyer. The film is based on a true story and revolves around a landmark case pertaining to environmental pollution that took place in Woburn, Massachusetts, in the 1980s. The town's water supply was contaminated with trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene, and the plaintiffs, represented by Jan Schlichtmann, took on one of the first high-profile suits involving pollution by a major corporation.
In the film, Travolta's character takes on the case as he overlooks the polluted river outside Woburn, Massachusetts. He is on his way back to Boston after meeting with distraught parents who believe that the town's drinking water has poisoned their children. While he initially decides not to take on the case, he changes his mind when he sees the factory signs of two giant corporations. The film follows Travolta's character as he spends millions of dollars on environmental studies, medical tests, and depositions, ultimately losing his money, house, and furniture in the process.
The case that the film is based on was a complex one. In drinking water contamination cases, plaintiffs must prove that a company's pollution reached the water supply and that the water caused the illnesses. In the Woburn case, the judge posed a set of questions to the jurors after the trial had gone on for four months. Schlichtmann had to convince the jurors that the companies' chemical waste had reached the wells by a certain month and year. If he failed to do so, he would not be allowed to present evidence of the children's leukemia.
The real-life Schlichtmann acted as a legal consultant for the movie. He represented 60 families in a similar case in Tom's River, New Jersey, where people were dying from brain and blood cancers caused by hazardous waste from two large corporations. Schlichtmann negotiated with these corporations instead of suing them, recognizing that the legal system was not helpful in solving the problem. The film is based on the 1995 book by New Yorker staff member Jonathan Harr, who won the National Book Critics Circle Award for nonfiction. Harr's painstaking reporting and spellbinding writing turned the intricate legal case into a thrilling drama.
The story of A Civil Action has had a lasting impact on environmental science, laws, and awareness. The events in Woburn inspired similar efforts in other communities, such as Tom's River, where parents were also fighting to understand why the cancer rate was higher than in other parts of the state and the country. The film highlights the challenges and sacrifices made by activists, attorneys, and parents in their pursuit of justice and a cleaner environment.
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The film is based on a true story
The film "A Civil Action" is based on a true story. The legal drama, starring John Travolta, is based on the 1995 non-fiction book of the same name by Jonathan Harr. The book and film recount the true story of a landmark case pertaining to environmental pollution that took place in Woburn, Massachusetts, in the 1980s. The case involved trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene contaminating the town's water supply, which was linked to cases of leukemia in children.
In the film, Travolta plays a Boston personal injury lawyer who takes on the environmental case as he overlooks a polluted river outside Woburn, Massachusetts. The lawyer, Jan Schlichtmann in real life, represented the plaintiffs in one of the first high-profile suits involving pollution by a major corporation. Schlichtmann had to prove that the companies' chemical waste contaminated the wells and caused the illnesses. The judge posed a set of questions to the jurors, who decided that W.R. Grace had tainted the wells but that Beatrice Foods had not. As a result, Schlichtmann received a mere $8 million settlement from W.R. Grace, which equaled about $450,000 per family, and nothing from Beatrice Foods.
The real-life Schlichtmann acted as a legal consultant for the movie. He represented 60 families in a similar case in Tom's River, New Jersey, where people were dying from brain and blood cancers caused by hazardous waste from corporations. Schlichtmann was negotiating with the corporations instead of suing them, recognizing that the legal system was not helpful in solving these complex issues.
The film received praise from Schlichtmann, who said, "I thought it was very complex. John Travolta captured the development of a human being who was caught up in the overwhelming challenge of Woburn, of life." He added that the film accurately portrayed how the experience of pursuing the case made him give up all the things he thought were valuable.
The story of Woburn and its polluted river has had a lasting impact, inspiring other communities facing similar issues. For example, parents in Tom's River, New Jersey, where more than 100 children are either dead or ill from leukemia and other cancers, drew inspiration from Woburn. They recognized the importance of perseverance and having an attorney with experience in these complex environmental cases.
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John Travolta plays a Boston personal injury lawyer
In the film, Travolta's character is initially uninterested in taking on the case. However, as he encounters the polluted river, he notices the signs of two giant corporations with deep pockets. Motivated by the potential for financial gain and a sense of doing good, he decides to represent the distraught parents who believe their children have been poisoned by the contaminated drinking water. The case centres around the contamination of the town's water supply by trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene, which leads to a high-profile lawsuit against a major corporation.
Jan Schlichtmann, the lawyer who represented the plaintiffs in the real-life case, served as a legal consultant for the movie. He expressed his appreciation for Travolta's portrayal, stating that the actor captured the development of a human being caught up in the overwhelming challenge of the case. Schlichtmann also acknowledged the personal sacrifices he had to make during his pursuit of justice, including giving up his possessions and his spot on Boston's Top 10 Eligible Bachelors List. By the end of the film, Travolta's character has quit law and is left with very little money, having spent a significant amount on environmental studies, medical tests, and other expenses related to the case.
"A Civil Action" highlights the complexities of taking on powerful corporations in environmental contamination cases. It showcases the challenges faced by lawyers like Schlichtmann, who risked everything to seek justice and hold corporations accountable for their actions. The film is a powerful depiction of how personal injury lawyers can play a crucial role in advocating for communities affected by environmental issues and seeking redress for their suffering. Travolta's performance as a Boston personal injury lawyer adds a human dimension to the legal drama, showcasing the personal sacrifices and challenges faced by those dedicated to pursuing justice.
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The film is based on the 1995 book by Jonathan Harr
The film "A Civil Action" is based on the 1995 book by Jonathan Harr, titled "A Civil Action". The book is a non-fiction account of a landmark environmental pollution case that took place in Woburn, Massachusetts, in the 1980s. The case involved trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene contaminating the town's water supply, which led to a lawsuit against two giant corporations. The legal drama film, written and directed by Steven Zaillian, recounts this story with John Travolta playing the role of a Boston personal injury lawyer who takes on the case.
The book by Harr, a staff member at The New Yorker, won the National Book Critics Circle Award for nonfiction. Readers and critics praised his painstaking reporting and spellbinding writing that transformed a complex legal case into a thrilling drama. The film adaptation similarly received positive reviews for capturing the human development of the lawyer caught up in the challenging case.
The true story involves Jan Schlichtmann, who represented the plaintiffs in Woburn. He led them through one of the first high-profile lawsuits involving pollution by major corporations. Schlichtmann had to prove that the companies' chemical waste contaminated the wells, leading to illnesses in the residents, specifically an increase in cases of leukemia. The judge posed a set of questions to the jurors, and they decided that one company, W.R. Grace, had tainted the wells, while the other, Beatrice Foods, had not.
The case and the subsequent film had a significant impact, inspiring similar legal battles across the country. For instance, in Tom's River, New Jersey, another cancer cluster emerged, with over 100 children affected by leukemia and other cancers. The water supply in Tom's River was contaminated with similar chemicals found in Woburn, and two large corporations were suspected. The parents in Tom's River drew inspiration from Woburn's fight for justice, and Schlichtmann himself acted as a legal consultant for the movie and worked on similar cases in real life.
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The film highlights the environmental pollution that took place in Woburn, Massachusetts
The film "A Civil Action" highlights the environmental pollution that took place in Woburn, Massachusetts. The movie is based on a true story and recounts the landmark 1986 case pertaining to the contamination of the town's water supply. The film stars John Travolta as a flashy Boston personal injury lawyer who takes on the case of distraught parents who believe that the town's drinking water has poisoned their children. The river outside Woburn, the Aberjona River, was polluted with chemical waste from two giant corporations, W.R. Grace and Beatrice Foods. The chemical waste tainted the wells, and the water contamination was found to be correlated with leukemia in Woburn children, whose mothers had drunk the water during pregnancy.
The case in the film was led by Jan Schlichtmann, who represented 60 families in the town. Schlichtmann had to convince the jurors that the companies' chemical waste had contaminated the wells, as plaintiffs in drinking water contamination cases typically must prove that a company's pollution reached the water supply and caused illnesses. The jurors decided that W.R. Grace had tainted the wells, but Beatrice Foods had not. As a result, Schlichtmann received a settlement of $8 million from W.R. Grace, which equaled about $450,000 per family.
The film is based on the 1995 book by Jonathan Harr, a New Yorker staff member, who won the National Book Critics Circle award for nonfiction. The book and film brought attention to the issue of water contamination and the role of large corporations in polluting the environment. The case in Woburn, Massachusetts, also inspired similar efforts in other communities, such as in the New Jersey shore town of Tom's River, where more than 100 children were either dead or ill from leukemia and other cancers. The contamination of the water supply in Woburn and the subsequent legal battle highlighted the need for better environmental protection and the challenges of holding large corporations accountable for their actions.
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Frequently asked questions
The 1998 legal drama "A Civil Action", starring John Travolta, is based on a true story of environmental pollution in Woburn, Massachusetts.
In the film, Travolta plays a Boston lawyer who takes on a case of environmental pollution by two giant corporations, overlooking a polluted river in Woburn. The case nearly drives him crazy, and he ends up quitting law.
The film is based on the landmark 1986 case where trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene were found contaminating the water supply in Woburn. The case alleged that the water supply caused illnesses such as leukemia in Woburn children.
The jury decided that one of the two corporations, W.R. Grace, had tainted the wells, and they were made to pay an $8 million settlement. However, the other corporation, Beatrice Foods, was not found guilty, and Schlichtmann was not able to present the evidence of the children's leukemia.
The case and film sparked new environmental science, laws, and awareness. It also inspired similar cases, such as in Tom's River, New Jersey, where more than 100 children suffered from cancers like leukemia due to contaminated water.
