[Doctor] Um... you have no actual medical training?
No. I have kids. Learned a lot right there.
I mean, I've seen nurses give my son throat cultures.
What is it? You stick a giant Q-Tip down their throat and wait.
Or a urinalysis, where you take a dipstick to see whether or not the white count's high.
[Doctor] Yes, I understand. Yeah, yeah.
I'm great with people. You'd have to observe me to know for sure,
but you can trust me on that.
Yeah. I'm an extremely fast learner.
You show me something in a lab once, and I've got it down.
Mm-hmm. I always wanted to go to medical school.
That was my first interest really,
but then I got married and had a kid too young and that kind of blew that.
When I was first out of high school,
I got a job with Fleuer Engineers and Constructors in Irvine.
I fell madly in love with geology.
Geology? [Erin] Yeah.
I learned how to read maps. I love maps.
Yeah, but I lost my job because...
my boy came down with the chicken pox, had a 104 temperature,
and my ex-husband was useless, so...
[Softly] That didn't really work out.
Uh-huh.
You got a really nice office.
Thanks.
Look...
Aw, fuck.
[Sighs]
- [Nail Break] - Goddamn it.
[Sighs]
[Starts Engine]
Good morning, Mr. Masry. Good morning, Rosalind.
How are you doing today? Fine, thanks. And you?
Very well. Thank you for asking.
Good morning.
How ya doing? Hi, Donald.
[Brenda] Did you see it last night? I was out, but I taped it.
Don't tell me what happens. It was so good. Your 9:00's here already.
Remind me. Erin Brockovich.
Car accident. Not her fault, she says.
She was referred.
Yeah. All right?
Erin, hi.
Hi. [Closes Door] Ed Masry.
Sorry you had to wait.
That's okay. Here, sit, sit. Sit down, sit down.
Thank you.
Oh.
I never thought just standing could take it out of you,
but ever since that shithead hit me,
I feel like my whole body's put together wrong.
You poor thing.
Uh, did anyone ask if you wanted coffee?
Yeah. I'm fine. [Clears Throat] [Ed] Good.
Listen, whoever did this to you made one hell of a mistake,
and, you and me, we're gonna make him pay for it.
So, uh, why don't you tell me what happened?
I was pulling out real slow and, out of nowhere,
his Jaguar comes racing around the corner like a bat out of hell.
They took some bone from my hip and put it in my neck.
I don't have insurance,
so I'm about $ 17,000 in debt right now.
I couldn't take pain killers 'cause they made me too groggy to take care of my kids.
Matthew's eight and Katie's almost six...
and Beth's just nine months.
I just want to be a good mom, a nice person,
a decent citizen.
I just want to take good care of my kids, you know?
Yeah. Yeah, I know.
Seventeen thousand in debt? [Sighs]
Is your ex-husband helping out? Which one?
There's more than one? Yeah, there's two. Why?
So, you must have been feeling pretty desperate that afternoon.
What's your point?
[Attorney] Broke, three kids, no job.
- A doctor in a Jaguar must have looked like a good meal ticket. - Objection.
[Judge] Sustained. What? He hit me.
- So you say. - He came tearing around the corner, out of control!
An E.R. Doctor, who spends his day saving lives, was the one out of control?
That asshole smashed in my fucking neck.
[Spectators Murmuring]
Open and shut. Open and fucking shut!
That is exactly the kind of language that lost the case.
It was over long before that. I told you the questions might get personal.
No, you told me I'd be set! I never said that.
You told me I had a good shot. I had no shot!
Let's try and settle down here. Fuck "settle down"!
I've got $ 74 in the bank. I can't afford to settle down.
I'm sorry, Erin.
Do they teach lawyers to apologize?
Because you suck at it.
Hello? Hi. Hi, Erin.
You've come so soon. Yeah.
Oh, were you a good girl, huh?
You're my little baby. [Coughs]
What is that, a little cough? She's got a little cough.
I sat in the steam with her to try to loosen it up, but...
I think I've got some cough medicine. Ah, bueno.
Um, listen... I didn't want to tell you before, Yeah?
You know, with your worries. What?
My daughter bought a big house with a room for me.
I'm moving in with her.
When? Next week.
Next week? I know, but it's good for me.
Now I can help my daughter take care of my grandkids. And it's good for you too.
Now you have money, you can hire a good baby-sitter, eh?
Not the old lady next door.
Thanks.
[Boy Yelling] Matthew?
Katie, you back here? [Katie] Yeah.
Okay, come on in, would you?
[Laughing]
[Erin] Hey, get in the house. No dripping.
[Both] Okay.
Sweetie, please, don't get sick on me. Please.
[Cooing] [Crying]
Let's fix some dinner.
[Crying Continues]
[Erin Turns On Faucet] Look at the water.
[Continues Crying]
[Turns Water Off]
[Gasps, Drops Pan] [Screaming]
Damn it. I'm sorry. [Crying]
[Continues Crying]
Matthew! Katie! We're going out.
You kids go ahead and order.
Okay, I'm gonna have a cheeseburger deluxe with a Coke.
Okay.
Mommy, can I have a cheeseburger deluxe...
with no cheese and no bread?
- Did you get that? - Yes.
And she will have a cup of chicken broth and a few crackers, please.
And for you? Okay. Just a cup of coffee.
Mommy, you're not eating? Well, my lawyer took me out to a fancy lunch to celebrate,
and I'm still stuffed.
How about that? [Laughing]
[Coughs]
[Beth Crying]
I'm calling about the job ad in the paper.
Yes, I'm calling about the job ad.
Great personality, good voice.
I don't have any actual sales experience.
I don't really have a resume, but I can...
No, I don't have any computer skills, but...
Oh. Well, I thought it was the local store.
Okay. Thanks anyway.
Okay, bye. [Hangs Up Receiver]
[Clears Throat] Ed Masry, please.
Yes, I'm holding for Ed Masry.
Is he ever in the office?
No, but I've called about a dozen times.
Yes, I'd like to leave another message.
Brockovich. B-r-o-c-k-o-v-i-c-h.
I'm a client. I want him to call me. It's as simple as that.
Okay. [Sighs]
[Gasps] Goddamn it!
Brenda! Brenda! Yeah?
Who put that there? Those are the files you asked for.
I didn't ask for you to put it in the middle of the floor.
I mean, look at me. Get a towel, will ya?
Hey. Hey.
What's she doing here? Who?
Donald.
What's she doing here? She works here.
Erin, how's it going?
You never called me back. I left messages.
You did? Well, I didn't know that.
Donald seems to think you... There's two things that aggravate me, Mr. Masry:
Being ignored and being lied to.
I never lied. You told me things would be fine.
They're not. I trusted you.
I'm sorry about that. I am. I don't need pity. I need a paycheck.
I've looked, but when you've spent the past six years raising babies,
it's real hard to convince someone to give you a job that pays worth a damn.
Are you getting every word of this, honey, or am I talking too fast for you?
[Ed] I'm sorry about that.
I really am, but we have a full staff right now... Bullshit!
If you had a full staff, this office would return a client's damn phone call.
I'm smart, I'm hard-working, and I'll do anything,
and I'm not leaving here without a job.
[Softly] Don't make me beg.
If it doesn't work out, fire me.
Don't make me beg.
No benefits.
What we do in here is file all the cases.
That way, at any time, we can tell the status of a file.
You know, where it is in the office, stuff like that.
Here's where we organize all the files alphabetically.
Simple enough. Okay. Here's your desk.
Come with me. I want to show you where the Xerox machine is.
Everybody has a code, and you need to know about that.
Do I get to pick my own code? We'll see.
[Erin] Mr. Masry? Yeah?
I was wondering, can you tell me who I talk to...
about maybe getting an advance on my paycheck, just for the weekend?
Rosalind's the office manager. She handles the payroll and petty cash.
But she's gone already. She leaves early on Fridays.
Okay. Thank you. Oh, for Pete's sake, here, here.
I've only got hundreds.
Here. [Clears Throat]
I don't want your money, Mr. Masry.
Where do you think your paycheck comes from? Here.
Have a good weekend. Thank you.
See you. [Employees] See you. Good night.
[Ed] See you Monday.
Hey. Hi, my sweetie. Hello. [Kisses]
How are you? Matthew? Katie?
Hey, Mom. Hi, sweetie. Come on.
How are you? Thanks a lot.
You're welcome.
[Kisses]
[Engine Revving]
[Revving Continues]
[Revving Continues] Hey!
[Revving Engine] Hey!
[Continues Revving Engine]
Hey! Hello.
What are you doing making all that goddamn noise?
Well, uh, I don't know.
We were just introducing ourselves to the neighborhood, I guess.
Well, I'm the neighbors.
There, we're introduced, so shut the fuck up.
[Chuckling] Hey, hey.
Hold on there. Let's start over, okay?
My name's George. What's yours?
Just think of me as the person next door who likes it quiet.
Hey, come on. Don't be like that.
Hell, we live next door to each other. I feel bad.
I feel terrible. I'm sorry. Will you accept my apology?
I mean, hell, we're living right next door to each other. If you need a cup of sugar...
I don't eat sugar. You don't need any sugar?
Why don't I take you out to dinner to apologize for my rudeness?
You give me your number. I already got your address, so you can't get away.
Huh? I'll call you up proper, and I'll ask you out and everything.
[Scoffs] You want my number?
I do. I do want your number.
Which number do you want, George?
Now I like the way you say "George."
How many numbers you got?
Oh, I got numbers coming out of my ears. For instance, ten.
"Ten"? Yeah. That's how many months old my baby girl is.
You got a little girl? Yeah. Sexy, huh?
How about this for a number: Six?
That's how old my other daughter is. Eight is the age of my son.
Two is how many times I've been married and divorced.
Sixteen is the number of dollars I have in my bank account.
850-3943. That's my phone number, and with all the numbers I gave you...
I'm guessing zero is the number of times you're gonna call it.
Hey, how do you remember your bank balance off the top of your head like that?
That impresses me.
You're dead wrong about that zero thing, baby.
[Laughing] [Laughing]
[Erin] How long has she been crying like that?
She's got that tooth coming in. Why don't you give her a cold washcloth to suck on?
I gotta go. There's a clean one in the bag. I'll check back later.
- Where's Anna? - She's out to lunch with the girls.
Oh. I have to open a file.
Real estate thing, pro bono. Okay.
You know how to do that, don't you? Yeah, yeah, I got it.
No problem.
- You're a girl. - Excuse me?
Why aren't you out to lunch with the girls? You're a girl.
I guess I'm not the right kind.
Oh.
Uh, look, now, you may want...
Now that you're working here, you may want to, uh...
rethink your wardrobe a little.
Why is that?
Well, I think some of the girls...
are a little uncomfortable...
because of what you wear.
Is that so?
Well, it just so happens, I think I look nice.
And as long as I have one ass instead of two,
I'll wear what I like, if that's all right with you.
Uh-huh.
You might want to rethink those ties.
[Erin] Anna?
Huh? This real estate stuff... Could you remind me?
I'm a little confused exactly how we do it.
Why are there medical records and blood samples in real estate files?
Erin, you've been here long enough.
If you don't know how to do your job by now,
I'm not about to do it for you.
Hello?
Matthew? Katie?
Matt...
Matthew? Matthew?
[Children Laughing]
[Children Talking, Laughing]
What the hell happened?
[Matthew, Katie] Hi, Mom. Hey, hungry? Am l...
What are they doing here? I just went to pick them up.
She came by about an hour ago and said something came up and she had to drop the kids off.
"Something came up"? Why didn't she call me at work?
I don't know. She... I was...
I don't know... why.
That stupid bitch. Mom.
Sorry. I just can't believe she dumps my kids off when nobody's home.
I was home. We're fine.
Seriously, we cooked some burgers, had some milk.
Want a hot dog? There's an extra one on the grill.
Or a cheeseburger. With this mustard, it's slippery.
[Matthew] Mom, what do you think about me getting a tattoo?
One, two, three.
[Chuckling]
[Matthew] I got all these kings. You win, you got a joker.
[Continues Putting Cards Down] King. Joker.
You stole a joker! [Laughing]
He cheats. What do you mean, I cheat?
You cheat! [Laughing]
Get another one.
Time to go to bed. [Children Continue Playing]
Excuse me. Get ready for bed. Brush your teeth. [Matthew] Okay.
Play tomorrow? Yeah.
Good night, buddy. Good night. [Both] Good night.
- What's that? - This is a Harley-Davidson.
It's the best damn motorcycle ever made.
And if I ever catch either one of you near one, I'll knock you silly.
[Katie Hopping]
Brush your teeth, and keep it down. The baby's asleep.
[Sighs] Yeah. You have great kids.
Well, I'm sure I'll fuck them up eventually.
[Laughing] Why?
I'm obviously not a good judge of character...
or I would have never left them with that idiot...
who cost a fortune and smelled like chicken fat.
After I find her and kill her,
I don't know what I'm gonna do.
If you need help with them, I could do that.
I'm not leaving my kids with you. [George] Why?
I don't even know you.
What do you want to know? Ask me.
Look, thanks for today. You're welcome. It was my pleasure.
How many decks do you guys have here?
We had more than enough. What's the matter?
You got so many friends in this world, you can't use one more?
Huh? I'm serious.
If you need someone to look after your kids...
after school or whatever,
I don't have a job now, so...
Oh, that's a great recommendation.
I'm unemployed. By choice.
I work when I need to. Yeah?
What do you do the rest of the time, live off your trust fund?
No, I do construction, which pays real good, and I make it last by living cheap.
[Noise] I hope that's not supposed to impress me.
Hey, bed.
[Footsteps Departing, Rapidly] [George] Your little ghosts.
You always this hard on people who try to help you?
[Sorting Cards] I'm out of practice.
Yeah, well, let me remind you then.
The polite thing is to say, "Thank you." Let's start with that.
Then you could say, "Hey, that's a really nice offer.
I don't mind taking you up on that."
Why the hell do you want to watch my kids? I like kids.
Yeah, I do. I like hanging out with them. They keep it simple.
You're home every afternoon?
I'm usually just working on my bike.
Listen, it's no big deal. If it doesn't work out,
you can always send them back to the chicken fat lady.
This isn't gonna get you laid, you know? [Laughs]
[Snaps Fingers] Get in bed.
[Footsteps Departing, Rapidly] That's good, 'cause I don't find you attractive either.
Good, then we're even. Right, so we don't have to worry about that.
I'm so glad we got that out of the way. I feel much better.
I do too. Seriously. Because now I can just look after the kids,
and I don't have to worry about you coming on to me all the time.
[Sorting Cards]
[Beth Cooing]
[Cooing Continues]
[Ed Talking Softly] Bring the phone into the changing room.
Mrs. Masry, don't be such a tease.
Hold on. Just hold on. Yeah?
Sorry. Would you mind if I investigate this a little further?
- Investigate what? - This real estate thing with the Jensens.
- The pro bono case. - Yeah, yeah.
Yeah? Because I just want to make sure I'm understanding what I'm reading.
Yeah, yeah, sure. [Erin] You don't mind?
Okay, great. Thanks.
[Knocking]
Hi. Donna Jensen? Hi.
Yes. I'm Erin Brockovich, with Masry & Vititoe.
Oh. You're a lawyer?
Hell, no. I hate lawyers. I just work for them.
[Chuckles] Um, do you have a minute?
I don't mean to be a pain in PG&E's backside,
especially after all they've done for Hinkley,
but I look around here and I think,
"If they want this place, they're gonna have to pay for it."
So you didn't put the house up for sale,
they just came to you and wanted to buy it? Oh, yeah, yeah.
I don't want to move.
Uproot the kids? I've got a couple of girls.
Honest to God, I don't know if I have the energy.
You know, I've been sick.
Me and Pete both have.
So, the whole idea of selling this house,
if they're not gonna pay us properly, I just don't see the point.
Yeah, yeah, I can see that.
But... I guess the only thing that confused me is,
not that your medical problems aren't important,
but how come the files on that are in with all the real estate stuff?
Well, there's just so much correspondence, I just keep it all in one place.
Right. Right.
Um, I'm sorry,
I just don't see why you're corresponding with PG&E...
about your medical problems in the first place.
Well, they paid for the doctor's visit.
They did?
You bet. Paid for a checkup for the whole family.
Not like with insurance where you pay...
and a year goes by and maybe you see some money.
They just took care of it just like that. [Snaps Fingers]
We never even saw a bill. Wow. Why'd they do that?
Because of the chromium.
The what? The chromium.
That's what kicked this whole thing off. [Sighs]
[Horn Blaring]
[Blaring Continues]
What kind of chromium is it? There's more than one type?
Yes, there's straight-up chromium; does good things for the body.
There's chrom three, which is fairly benign.
Then there's chrom six, hexavalent chromium,
which, depending on the amounts, can be very harmful.
Harmful how? What would you get?
With repeated exposure to toxic levels,
God, anything, really, from chronic headaches and nosebleeds...
to respiratory disease, liver failure,
heart failure, reproductive failure,
bone or organ deterioration,
plus, of course, any type of cancer.
So, that stuff, it kills people?
Yeah, definitely. Highly toxic, highly carcinogenic.
It gets into your DNA too, so you pass the trouble along to your kids.
It's very, very bad.
What's it used for? A rust inhibitor.
See, the utility plants use these piston engines to compress the gas.
The engines get hot. You've got to run water through them.
Chromium's in the water to prevent corrosion.
Well, how do I find out what kind of chromium they use in Hinkley?
Have you been to their water board? Uh-uh.
What's that? Every county has one. They keep records...
of anything water-related within their jurisdiction.
You should be able to find something there.
County water board? All righty. Thanks. Uh-huh.
Good luck.
I wouldn't advertise what you're looking for if I were you.
Incriminating records have a way of disappearing when people smell trouble.
I'll remember that. Thanks.
[Man Over TV] This guy's too smart.
[Woman Over TV] It's only a matter of time until he makes his move.
He positions women employees in such a way...
that they have no other choice but to respond to what he wants or they lose their job...
[Turns Off TV]
[Erin Opens Door, Sighs] Damn, that's a heavy door.
Let me give you a hand there. Thank you very much.
Aren't you a gentleman, Mr... Uh, Scott.
Mr. Scott. Pleased to meet you.
I'm Erin. Erin. Erin. Cool.
What can I do for you, Erin?
Believe it or not, I'm on the prowl for some water records.
You've come to the right place. [Chuckles] I guess I did.
You just tell me what you want to look at,
and I'd be glad to dig 'em out for you. I wish I knew.
It's for my boss. He's in this water dispute,
and he wants me to find all kinds of papers from all kinds of places.
Uh...
you know...
it would probably be easiest...
if I just squeezed back there and poked around myself.
Would that be all right with you? Heck, yeah. Come on back.
I'm just gonna need you to sign in here. Sure.
"Pattee." Is that your middle name? No, maiden.
Oh, you're married?
[Softly] Not anymore.
Oh, that's...
Can I just... Yeah, just...
I love your pants. [Stammering] Oh, thanks.
Well, this is it.
It's, um... It's impressive. [Chuckles]
I'll call you if I need anything.
A-All right. Okay.
Thank you. Go ahead.
[Audience Cheering Over TV]
[Pat Sajak] All right. [Contestant] "W."
[TV Continues, Indistinct]
[TV Continues]
[Copy Machine Whirring]
[Whirring Continues]
Where's my stuff?
Where have you been?
What the fuck did you do with my stuff? Don't use language like that.
Who do you think you are, Miss Lady?
Someone took my stuff. Nice to see you, Erin. We missed you.
[Erin] I had photos of my kids, a mug... Toothbrush, toothpaste,
mousse and deodorant.
- Here. - What's going on?
There may be jobs where you can disappear for days at a time, but this isn't one of them.
Here, you don't do the work, you don't get to stay.
I've been working. That's all I've been doing. Ask Mr. Masry. He knows.
You ask Mr. Masry. He fired you.
- You said to fire me? - I'll call you back. You've been gone for a week.
I left a message. I've been dealing with this real estate thing. I was gonna write...
a whole damn report! That's not how we work here.
You don't just leave a message and take off.
What am I supposed to do, check in every two seconds?
Yes, it's called accountability. I'm not talking to you, bitch!
Excuse me? Get out of my face! That's enough!
Erin, this incident aside, I don't think this is the right place for you.
Okay? So, I'm gonna make a few calls on your behalf and find something else.
- Don't bother! - I'm trying to help.
Bullshit. You're trying to make yourself feel less guilty about firing someone with three kids.
Well, fuck, if I'm gonna help you do that!
Get back to work!
[Sighs]
[Metal Clanking]
[Sighs] What the hell are you doing here?
I'm fixing the leak under your sink.
Damn it, George, I don't ask you to do things like that.
Look at this mess that you've made, all this crap!
[Clanking Tools] [George] I'm not done with that yet.
Well, get it out... Oh, Jesus!
Relax. Shit! Where did it go?
Where is it? [George] Somewhere back there.
It's right behind your foot. It's going up your leg now.
Jesus! Who fucking lives like this, George?
Who lets their kids run around in a place...
that is crawling with bugs the size of house cats?
It's a simple thing, Erin. All we have to do is call an exterminator.
Everybody gets them. I can't call an exterminator.
I can't afford one. I can't even afford my phone.
[Sighing] I got fired.
What?
What do you mean you got fired? You're working so hard.
It doesn't matter.
It doesn't make one fucking bit of difference.
[Sighs] I don't know what happened to me.
[Crying] I mean...
God, I was Miss Wichita, for Christ's sake.
Did I tell you that?
You are living next door to a real, live, fucking beauty queen.
- [Chuckles] - [Chuckles]
I still have my tiara.
And I thought it meant I was gonna do something important with my life,
that it meant I was someone.
You're someone to me.
Are you gonna be something else that I have to survive?
'Cause I'll tell you the truth,
I'm not up to it.
So I get up on the stage, in the center of the stage, right?
I had a big bouquet of flowers and I had my foot out like this and I say,
[George Chuckles] "I will devote my entire reign as Miss Wichita...
"to bringing an end to world hunger...
"and to the creation of a peaceful Earth...
[Chuckling Continues] For every man, woman and child."
How long were you gonna be Miss Wichita? One year.
Of course, by the time I got through opening new supermarkets,
I only had a few weeks left to work on hunger and world peace.
World peace. Right. [Fake Laughing] I don't know what I was thinking about.
What about you, huh?
What about me?
What about you? [Laughing] [Laughing]
Hey, baby, let me tell you something.
Let me get that out of your hair. Oh.
Thank you. Nice.
You're a very special lady.
Don't be too nice to me, okay?
Why? Hmm, makes me nervous.
[Sighs]
[Beth Fussing]
[Sighs]
Some slim pickings here, baby.
[Doorbell Chimes]
Maybe that's Ed McMahon. Let's go see.
Wrong Ed.
I'm sorry? What are you doing here?
I had an interesting call this afternoon from Dr. Frankel...
from UCLA. Oh, yeah?
He wanted you to know that the legal limit for hexavalent chromium...
is.05 parts per million.
And the rate you mentioned, .58,
it could be responsible for the cancers...
in that family you asked about, the Jensens.
Well, wasn't that nice of him?
Isn't it funny how some people go out of their way to help people...
and others just fire them?
Look, I'm sorry. You were gone. I assumed you were off having fun.
Oh, and why the hell would you assume that? I don't know.
Maybe you look like someone who has a lot of fun. Oh.
So, by that standard, I should assume you never get laid?
I'm married.
Look, what is all this?
What's the story on this cancer stuff?
You want to know? You have to hire me back. I got a ton of bills to pay.
Fine. Fine.
So, Donna just put in these new cabinets... stained the wood and all...
when she gets a call from somebody at PG&E...
saying there's a freeway gonna be built...
and they want to buy her house to put in an off-ramp to the plant.
Meanwhile, the husband's sick with Hodgkin's.
She's in and out of the hospital with tumors,
believing one thing has nothing to do with the other.
Because PG&E told her about the chromium?
Get this. They had a seminar.
They invited about 200 residents from the area,
had it at the plant in this warehouse,
telling them all about chromium three and how good it is for you...
when all the time they're using chromium six.
[Beth Fussing] T-T-That document you found at the water board...
the one that says about the bad chromium...
You didn't happen to make a copy, did you?
Of course I did. Could I have a look at it?
I want a raise and benefits,
including dental.
[Sighs] Erin, this isn't the way I do business.
What way is that? Extortion.
Oh.
[Coos]
[Beth Laughs] [Sighs]
Okay, a five percent raise. We'll talk about benefits later.
Ten. There are lots of other places I could get work.
Ten percent raise and benefits.
But that's it. I'm drawing the line.
[Softly] He's drawing the line. [Coos]
This the only thing you got?
So far, but that place is a pigsty. I wouldn't be surprised if there's more.
Yeah, I know how those things are run. They're a mess.
What makes you think you can just walk in there...
and find... what we need?
They're called boobs, Ed.
[Scott] Yes. She already is.
[Whirring] I understand.
Okay, I agree. I'm going to.
Right now. [Hangs Receiver Up]
[Erin, Softly] We're almost done. So...
how are we doing?
We're doing great. You... [Crying]
[Crying Continues] Good.
You've got quite a lot done already,
so, um...
I'm sorry, but we need to have those records back now, okay?
No.
[Crying] These papers are a matter of public record,
and I'm not leaving until they're copied.
[Machine Whirring] [Scott Sighs]
[Whirring Continues, Beth Fussing] [Stammering]
Fax these to this number, okay?
All of'em? All of'em!
[Sighs]
[Beeping]
[Children Laughing]
[Laughing] [Plant Horn Blaring]
[Blaring Continues] [Donna] An on-site monitoring well?
That means that... It was right up on the PG&E property over there.
And you say that this stuff, this... hexavalent chromium...
[Sighs] It's poisonous.
Yeah.
Well...
Erin...
it's just got to be different than what's in our water 'cause ours is okay.
The guys from PG&E told me.
They sat right in the kitchen and told me that it was fine.
I know, I know, but...
the toxicologist that I've been talking to...
he gave me a list of problems...
that can come from hexavalent chromium exposure.
Everything you all have is on that list.
No, no, no.
No, that's not what...
That's not what our doctor said.
He said that... [Sighs]
Well, that one's got absolutely nothing to do with the other.
Right.
But PG&E paid for that doctor.
[Sighs]
[Children Laughing, Chattering]
[Laughing, Chattering Continue]
[Continue Chattering]
[Laughing, Chattering Continue]
Ashley! Shanna! Get out of the pool!
How come? 'Cause I said so, that's why!
That's it. Okay, okay, girls.
The minute Brenda sent that fax,
I'm saying the second she pressed the "send" button,
PG&E's claim department...
was on the phone to me scheduling a meeting.
So you think that we... Let me do it...
'cause you're driving me nuts. What?
So you think we scared them, don't you?
Well, they're taking the trouble to send someone.
Sure as hell sounds like they're sitting up and taking notice.
Mr. Foil?
In the interest of putting this whole thing to rest,
PG&E is willing to offer the Jensens $250,000 for their home.
[Scoffs] Two hundred and fifty thousand?
In terms of land value out in Hinkley,
Mr. Masry, we feel that's a more than fair price.
How about in terms of medical expenses?
Two hundred and fifty thousand isn't gonna come close...
to what this family's gonna have to spend on doctors.
I understand they've had a bad run of luck healthwise.
They have my sympathies, but that's not PG&E's fault.
You're kidding, right?
Look at these readings.
PG&E's own technicians documented...
toxic levels of hexavalent chromium...
in those wells on numerous occasions.
Everything the Jensens have had...
is proven reaction to exposure to hexavalent chromium.
They have had...
Breast cysts, uterine cancer,
Hodgkin's disease, immune deficiencies,
asthma, chronic nosebleeds... A million things could have caused those problems.
Poor diet, bad genes, irresponsible lifestyle.
Our offer is final, and it's more than fair.
Wait a minute. I thought we were negotiating here.
Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars is all I'm authorized to offer.
I'll present your offer to my clients.
I doubt they'll accept. Mr. Masry...
before you go off on some crusade,
you might want to remember who it is you're dealing with here.
PG&E's a $28-billion corporation.
$28 billion!
I didn't know it was that much!
Wow! 28 billion!
[Sighs] Holy cow!
At least they made an offer. That wasn't an offer.
A million would have been an offer.
They sent a mail clerk down to jerk me off, waste my time!
- Why would they do that? - Because they can.
You heard what that kid said. They have $28 billion at their disposal!
- They can afford to waste all the time in the world. - And you can't?
- You think I'm made of money? - What are you yelling at me for?
- Because I'm pissed off! - Good!
- Fuck you! - Fuck you back!
[Laughing]
[Laughing Continues]
[Continues Laughing] I really hate you sometimes, you know that?
Ah, you love me.
[Laughing Continues]
[Footsteps Approaching]
[Footsteps Continue]
You've been reading for hours.
I'm a slow reader.
[Footsteps Departing]
[Door Closes]
[Man] Uh, Erin Brockovich?
That's probably her at that desk.
Excuse me.
Are you Erin Brockovich? Yeah.
Uh, I'm Tom... Robinson. This is my wife Mandy.
Hi. [Tom] We used to live across the street from the Jensens.
I think you know Donna. [Erin] Yeah.
Uh, PG&E bought our house last year.
[Tom] The vets said they had a bunch of tumors and stuff...
and, you can see, they couldn't really walk.
How many were born like this?
Uh, 12 or 13 or so. Yeah.
When Donna told us about you and what you told her about the chromium,
we figured that might have something to do with this too.
Yeah, it might. May I keep these? Yes.
Okay. Great. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.
Um... There's something else too.
What? Um... this, uh...
Um... well, uh... Mandy here has had...
five miscarriages.
I'm so sorry.
I figured it was something I did...
like when I smoked marijuana maybe...
or took birth control pills.
But then Donna said you thought chromium might be to blame for her problems.
So I figured...
maybe it wasn't just me.
[Sighs] Whoa.
[Kissing]
I have to take a bath.
You should go in.
They're not asleep?
[Sighs]
Beth and Katie are.
Hey.
How was school?
Fine.
Did you do your homework? Yeah.
Any problems?
I know you're upset, but... the way this job is,
things come up at the last minute;
real important things that I gotta deal with.
Fine!
Please don't be mad at me. I'm doing this for us.
I know it's hard for you to understand, but...
Don't you want Mommy to be good at her job?
Hmm?
It's not like I miss dinner all the time. We all ate together last night.
You were reading the whole time.
Okay.
[Honking Horn]
[Man] You know, there's something about this whole thing...
I don't quite understand, Mr. Masry.
If PG&E messed with our water,
why would they bother saying anything about it to us at all?
Why not just keep quiet about it?
To establish a statute of limitations.
In a case like this, you only have one year...
from the time you first learn about the problem to file suit.
So PG&E figures...
we'll let the cat out of the bag, tell the people the water's not perfect,
and if we can ride out the year with no one suing,
we'll be in the clear forever.
But it was more than a year ago that they told us.
It's okay. We're not suing. Not yet.
All we're doing is using this information...
to get you a real nice purchase price on your house...
and, you two, a comparable retroactive bonus on your sale price.
That way, PG&E can still look good to their shareholders...
because they're not involved in an ugly lawsuit.
All they're doing is buying a little property.
It... doesn't say here how much this thing is gonna cost us.
My fee is 40% of whatever you get awarded.
Boy, do I know how you feel.
The first time I heard that number, I said, "You've got to be kidding me.
Forty goddamn percent? I'm the one that's injured." Erin...
"This joker sits at a desk, and he wants to walk away with almost half my reward?"
Erin, can l... But then...
I asked him...
what he makes if I don't get anything.
Then I don't get anything either.
[Erin] Plus he's out all the costs.
So I realized... he's taking a chance too.
You got a pen, honey?
Well, all right then.
Oh, I made a bundt cake.
Let me put on some coffee. Who would like coffee and cake?
I do. Thanks, but we have to be getting back.
[Whispers] Have a fucking cup of coffee, Ed.
Coffee will be great. Thank you.
[Donna] All right. I'll help you.
My wife makes really good bundt cake.
I love bundt cake.
[Water Hose Running]
[Bob Linwood] Seems like everybody in the family ended up with a rash somehow.
It also seemed like no matter what we did for it, it always came back.
Over what kind of period of time?
Oh... a long time. You know, years.
Never did keep track of it. Kids are sick. Animals need to be fed.
Just couldn't get rid of it. That's all.
[Erin] Well, Mrs. De Soto said...
that she wasn't exactly sure what you had.
We know what it is. It's gastro...
Gastrointestinal cancer. Cancer. Yeah.
She got sick about... nine months ago. [Laura Ambrosino] Nine months ago.
[Mike Ambrosino] They operated on her about six months ago.
[Laura Ambrosino] Mm-hmm. The intestine. Right.
Hi, I'm Erin... I know who you are. Donna called me.
Oh. Can I come in?
I told Donna we're not interested in getting involved.
Can I ask why?
What's the point?
Well, Donna told me that you've been sick...
and that your kids were sick... You people don't give a shit.
Anything to get what you want.
[Erin] It's good of you to have me in when I just stopped by.
She's feeling pretty good today. She's doing well.
Mike Ambrosino remembered he had seen you folks at the hospital from time to time.
That's what brought me out here.
[Chuckles] Yeah. Yeah.
We've been there from time to time. Yeah.
And you... Wooftie. Aren't you a beauty? [Rita Daniels Laughs]
You drive all the boys crazy, don't you?
[Chuckling] I can see it in your eyes. You drive them wild.
You do, don't you?
You torture them. It's good for them.
Don't teach her anything too early. [Laughs] Yeah.
She can't wait to get on her new dress. Isn't that right?
[Ted Daniels] She wants to go back to school. We're trying to do that...
in the next couple months. Yeah, get her out of her nightgown.
[Ted Daniels] She's gonna do it. She's gonna do it.
Absolutely not. That's crazy. Why not?
Because I said no. The only reason PG&E's even talking to us...
is because this is a quiet, little real estate dispute.
We add plaintiffs, suddenly we're in the middle or a toxic tort...
with a statute problem against a massive utility.
No, thank you. Okay.
So I'll go to Ted and Rita Daniels...
two of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet...
who every single day watch their little girl, Annabelle, fight like a dog against cancer,
and I'll tell them we can't help them because...
you just don't want to work that hard.
Work hard? Let me tell you something. I've worked all my life.
I've built a firm and managed to keep it alive...
through lawsuits, injunctions and evictions.
I've survived a quadruple bypass, cancer,
being born with one kidney and having diabetes.
I've personally managed to save a million dollars...
over 30 years of getting some clients ten times that.
Don't tell me I don't work hard.
Don't tell me I haven't earned the right to stop, take a breath and enjoy life.
And what the hell do you know about any of this anyway?
Something like this, Erin... It could take forever.
They're a huge corporation.
They could bury us in paperwork for the next 15 years.
I'm just a guy with a small, private firm!
Who happens to know they poisoned people and lied about it.
We can get these people.
With a little effort, I really think we can just nail their asses to the wall.
You do? With all your legal expertise, you believe that?
Don't you ever just know? You also "just know" where the money's coming from?
That's why most of these cases settle: Lack of money.
Do you know what toxicologists and geology experts cost?
We're looking at 100 grand a month, easy.
I've already made a huge dent in my savings. We'll figure it out.
I don't know shit about shit, but I know the difference between right and wrong!
Lovers'quarrel? Oh, bite my ass, Krispy Kreme.
I feel you looking at me.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
How many families are we talking about?
Four more. Eleven people so far. You mean there's more?
I found one document at the Water Board...
that was a toxic test well reading from 1967.
A lot more people have lived on that land since then.
[Sighs] This is a whole different ball game, a much bigger deal.
Kind of like David and what's-his-name. [Laughs]
It's kind of like David and what's-his-name's whole fucking family.
[Sighs] Okay, here's the deal.
Lf, and only if, you find all the evidence to back this up,
I'll take it on.
You're doing the right thing, Mr. Masry.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Remind me of that when I'm filing for bankruptcy.
Of course, gathering evidence is a big job.
A hell of a lot bigger than just filing.
I'll be working a lot harder, taking on more responsibility. I don't believe this.
Another raise wouldn't hurt. And I'm gonna be spending a lot of time in my car,
so I'll probably be needing one of those cell phones.
I don't believe this. Just a little phone?
[Office Phone Ringing]
[Groans]
[Starts, Revs Engine]
Thank you!
[Katie Giggling] Whoever's behind you.
[Matthew] Just go ahead and play. Go.
Roll the dice and play.
[Giggling] Come on. Aren't you gonna play?
Roll the dice. Come on. [Continues Giggling]
[Phone Ringing] Come on.
Roll the dice. Got it? Hello.
Is this the Erin Pattee Brockovich that's been snooping around the water board?
Yeah. Who's this? You should watch your step.
A lady with three young children really should think again. Who is this?
Do you understand what I'm saying? [Caller Hangs Up]
[Children Chattering] [Turns Phone Off]
[Matthew] No, no, no.
I'm not gonna quit because of one creepy phone call.
Come on, Erin.
A job is supposed to pay your bills, not put you in danger.
I'm not in danger. The phone might be tapped,
but that's usual. What?
We've got a dead bolt. It's not a big deal.
You don't think you're a little out of your league? No. See? See?
That's what those arrogant PG&E fucks want me to think, but they're wrong.
Erin, it doesn't have to be so complicated. There are plenty of jobs out there.
How would you know?
You mind telling me what that's supposed to mean? Nothing.
If you've got a problem with me taking care of your kids, just say so.
I didn't say that. Because I can get a job...
and you can leave the kids with the chicken fat lady again, okay?
Jesus, I said I'm sorry. Keep your voice down.
Erin, I know what these kids can sleep through. I probably know better than you.
Hey, Scott, tell me something.
Does PG&E pay you to cover their ass...
or do you just do it out of the kindness of your heart?
I don't know what you're talking about. The fuck you don't.
Nobody calls me Pattee.
That heavy-breathing sicko that called could have only found out about me from you.
People are dying, Scott.
You've got document after document here that says why,
and you haven't said one word about it.
I want to know how the hell you sleep at night?
[Phone Ringing]
[Continues Ringing]
[Phone Beeps] Hello.
I'm about to drive off the road, I'm so tired.
[Yawning] Keep me awake, will you?
What do you want, a joke?
No, I don't want a joke.
Tell me about your day. What went on back there?
Come to think of it, we had a pretty big event around here.
Yeah? Mm-hmm.
Beth... started talking.
[Gasps] What?
Beth? My Beth?
We're all sitting around at lunch,
and she pointed at a ball and said:
"Ball."
Out of the blue like that.
It was pretty intense, seeing somebody's first word.
All the words they'll say out of their life, that's the first word: Ball.
She just pointed her little finger...
with her beautiful, soft, chubby, little arm and her little cheeks.
She was looking at it like she had been looking at it for nine months...
and just couldn't get it out, but knowing what it was.
She didn't look away or anything.
She was just sitting there with her arm out.
You should have seen Matthew and Katie and me. [Crying Softly]
Our jaws just dropped. We must have stood there for three or four minutes.
She just had her arm out like that, you know? "Ball."
Her little lips wrapped around it. [Laughs Softly]
[Sighs] It was great.
It was intense.
(sing)(sing)
Hi. I brought some stuff you might be interested in seeing.
My name's Erin, and I'll be here all day.
Let's go over to these nice ladies. Hi. How are you?
[Woman] Good. My name is Erin. I brought some information.
If you want to have a look and if you have any questions, just let me know.
Excuse me, ladies. I'm Ed Masry.
I'm the lawyer involved in the case.
I thought you might like to read these.
If you have any questions, I'll be here all day. Sounds good.
Thanks so much.
Your phone number in this?
There's more important information than that in there. Trust me.
Hey. I'm bored. So are the kids.
Okay. Well, I'm a little busy here, honey.
We invited all these people here, and I have to... I'm sorry. You know what?
I have an idea. Please, please. Can you just take her?
She's getting very heavy. I can do my work faster if you take her.
(sing)(sing) [George Singing Lullaby Softly]
Got a knee for me?
Hello. Hello, sweetness.
Guess what. What?
I would like to go home. You get everything done?
We got a lot of work done.
Sweetie. I think I ate three watermelons.
Piggyback. Let's go, brother. Get on.
Be careful. [Woman] Erin? Get on me now.
Erin, excuse me. This is Nelson Perez. Oh, hi.
He works at the compressor station. Hi, nice to meet you.
PG&E. Oh, hi. Wow. Uh...
I've come at a bad time? No, no, no.
Can you just give me one...
Of course. Sure. Thank you. Thank you.
Oh, my God. Uh... you know what?
Why don't you guys go ahead without me,
[Scoffs] And I will get a ride with Ed.
No, Mom. No, sweetie, I'll be right behind you.
I'll be right behind you, all right? Okay?
I really... This is so... Fine. Go, go, go, go.
I'll see you tonight, okay? Okay?
Get down, bud. [Sighs]
Hey, you all right? Hang on tight there.
Help your sister with her shoes. Come on, let's go.
[Motorcycle Engines Roaring]
Mr. Perez, this is so helpful. Is it okay if I write some of this down?
Sure, sure. I have so many questions. I want to know...
how the plant works, the cooling towers, just everything, so...
They use the hexachrome here, in these cooling towers,
as an anticorrosive.
Then they dump the excess water into these ponds.
I don't remember seeing any ponds out there.
This is an old picture. They've been covered over, and not too carefully.
If you dig one inch under the surface,
dirt's as green as a fucking shamrock.
That's what caused the contamination?
Well, it didn't help, but, no, the problem actually started on the bottom.
According to...
this...
in most cases, you would line these ponds...
so this shit didn't seep into the ground.
But guess what? They skipped that step?
Mm-hmm. Here are the ponds.
The plume comes down like this, and Hinkley is down here.
It's like 14 years of hexachrome just flowing into the groundwater.
Jesus.
And this guy just offered all this information?
Yeah. Nelson cares what's in those ponds.
He used to spend half the day wading around in them.
That was his job. Shit.
What's the matter?
I don't know if we can pull this off.
This is a monster case. We're up to 411 plaintiffs.
We've taken 162 declarations.
Probably hundreds more out there have moved away.
We'll have to find them. It's taking time, manpower.
Money's going out. Nothing's coming in.
I'll have to take a second mortgage on the house.
So? "So?"
So... I have to tell you.
I've been making inquiries with other firms,
bigger firms, to share some of the cost.
They all said, "No, we don't have it."
That's bullshit. We've got PG&E by the balls.
PG&E Hinkley by the balls, but nobody's going to get rich...
unless we can pin this on PG&E corporate in San Francisco.
What do you mean? PG&E corporate is claiming...
they had no way of knowing what was going on in Hinkley.
- Oh, they knew. - Show me the document that proves it.
Then they didn't know. If they didn't know, we can't hit them with punitive damages.
With punitive damages, we're talking about a sum of money...
that can actually have some effect...
on these people's lives.
So what do we do now?
Let's assume there are documents connecting PG&E Hinkley with PG&E corporate,
and they know these documents exist.
We take our 400 or so plaintiffs and everything you've dug up,
we file a lawsuit to provoke a reaction,
to see if they offer a reasonable settlement or just throw more paper at us.
That sounds great. Let's do that. There's a downside.
PG&E will submit a demurrer,
a list of reasons attacking each complaint,
claiming that each cause of action has no merit.
If the judge agrees with them, he'll dismiss our case.
PG&E will have no reason to settle,
and it's all over.
[Scoffs] So, basically, it all comes down...
to what this one judge decides.
Basically, yeah.
Jesus.
[Sighs]
I'd got so used to having them come up benign...
I guess I just didn't expect it.
[Sighs] I wish I had longer to get used to the idea.
You think if you got no uterus and no breasts...
you're still technically a woman?
Sure, you are.
Yeah, you're just... You're actually a happier woman...
because you don't have to worry about maxi pads and underwire.
[Stifling Sobs]
[Sobbing] We're gonna get them, Erin, aren't we?
You gotta promise me that we're gonna get them.
[Continues Crying] Yeah.
[Sighing]
[Judge] All right, I have before me...
a complaint on behalf of the residents of Hinkley, California,
who have filed this lawsuit against Pacific Gas and Electric...
for damages, medical expenses and personal trauma...
due to contamination of the groundwater...
in their area by the defendant.
And I have here 84 motions to strike...
and demurrers submitted by representatives of Pacific Gas and Electric,
each attacking the validity of this complaint.
I have reviewed all of the information carefully.
I'm ready to give my decision.
Before I do, is there anything anyone wants to say?
- No, Your Honor. - No, Your Honor.
Very well.
In the matter of the plaintiffs of Hinkley, California,
versus Pacific Gas and Electric, it is the order of this court...
that each of the 84 motions to strike and demurrers are denied...
and the causes of action against Pacific Gas and Electric are upheld.
On a more personal note,
as a resident here in Barstow, which is not far from Hinkley,
I am disturbed by reference to evidence...
that suggests that not only was hexavalent chromium used...
but that your clients actually sent these residents...
pamphlets telling them that it was good for them.
Tell your clients they're going to trial.
[Erin] Jesus, they look like the Secret Service.
Intimidation.
Let the games begin.
Show them into the conference room.
Donald, Anna, I want to talk to you for a minute.
[Ed] Counselors. Counselors.
Let's be honest here.
$20 million is more money than these people have ever dreamed of.
See, now that pisses me off.
First of all, since the demurrer, we have more than 400 plaintiffs,
and, let's be honest, we all know there are more out there.
They may not be the most sophisticated people, but they do know how to divide.
$20 million isn't shit when you split it between them.
Erin... [Erin] Second of all,
these people don't dream about being rich.
They dream about being able to watch their kids swim in a pool...
without worrying they'll have to have a hysterectomy at the age of 20...
like Rosa Diaz, a client of ours.
Or have their spine deteriorate like Stan Bloom, another client of ours.
So before you come back here with another lame-ass offer,
I want you to think real hard about what your spine is worth, Mr. Walker.
Or what you might expect someone to pay you for your uterus, Ms. Sanchez.
Then you take out your calculator,
and you multiply that number by a hundred.
Anything less than that is a waste of our time.
We had that water brought in special for you folks.
It came from a well in Hinkley.
[Stifles Chuckle, Clears Throat]
I think this meeting's over.
Damn right it is.
[Door Opens, Closes]
What the fuck, George? Did a bomb blow up? You letting the kids run wild?
What's that?
I saw them in a mall one day.
I said, "Damn... those would look good on those beautiful ears."
So I bought them and I said, "Next time Erin does something nice or says something nice...
I'll surprise her with them."
You know how long ago that was?
Six months ago.
I'm sorry... So what I'm thinking is...
Erin, either you gotta find a different job or a different guy.
I mean...
there may be many men out there who don't mind being the maid...
and getting nothing in return, but I sure ain't one of them.
I can't leave my job, George.
Yes, you can.
You can just quit. People do it all the time.
How can you ask me to do that?
This job...
For the first time in my life, I got people respecting me.
Up in Hinkley, I walk into a room and everybody shuts up...
to hear if I got something to say.
I never had that before, ever.
Please, don't ask me to give it up.
What about what your kids are giving up?
I'm doing more for my kids now than I did living with my parents.
One day, they'll understand that.
- What about me? - What about you?
[Scoffs]
You think either one of the men who gave me those children...
asked me what I wanted before he walked away?
All I've ever done is bend my life around...
what men decide they need.
Well, not now. I'm sorry. I won't do it.
Well... Erin, I'm not them.
So... what more do I have to do to prove that to you?
Stay.
What for? Huh?
You got a raise.
You can afford day care. You don't need me.
[Radio Announcer] Let's take a look at the five-day forecast.
This is what you can expect in the high desert.
Ninety-three the high tomorrow. The overnight low will be 60.
Twenty percent chance of showers for most of the afternoon.
[Announcer Continues, Indistinct]
[Turns Off Radio]
[Erin] Hi.
Thank you.
[Erin] We can get them, Pamela. We can.
I don't want to feel it all over again...
and then not have it come out right.
I don't know if I could handle that,
put the kids through that.
The thing is, it doesn't matter...
whether you win, lose or draw here.
You were lied to. You're sick,
and your kids are sick because of those lies.
If for no other reason, you have to come together...
to stand up in a courtroom and say that.
I'd bring the kids into the hospital...
with towels soaked from their nosebleeds.
They called county services because they assumed the kids were being abused.
[Erin] Am I gonna get the best behavior in the office?
[Matthew] No. What's with the attitude?
I just need cool. I need quiet. Okay?
Hello? Am I alone in the car? Yes?
I said, "We'll see." I don't want to talk about it.
All the other moms gave permission. I don't care.
So when can I get a frickin' answer? Don't talk to me like that!
Randy's mom said yes right away. Goddamn it, Matthew!
Randy's mom doesn't work, and Randy's dad did not leave her.
So figuring out who can take who to roller hockey is probably easier at Randy's house.
[Erin Sighs] [Rosalind] Hey, Erin.
Hey. Okay.
I'll be as quick as I can. Matthew, can you watch your sister?
Matthew? All right, fine. Come here, Beth.
Can I come with you? No, baby. I'll just be a second.
[Clears Throat]
[Phone Ringing]
[Ed] Thank you. I'm only sorry you didn't get to meet Erin.
[Man] I will. We have a lot of work to do together.
[Ed] Yep. Okay. Thanks for coming over.
Erin, I was just talking about you. This is our new partner, Kurt Potter.
He'll be handling Hinkley now.
[Sighs] I see what you mean about a secret weapon.
It's great to meet you. You've done a fabulous job. I'll be seeing you.
Thanks. I appreciate you coming over. Yep.
[Opening Envelope]
- What? - "Our new partner"?
When was I gonna hear about this, in the monthly newsletter?
Just listen. Did I ever tell you about that airline case?
What the fuck are you talking about?
A few years back I was trying this airline case,
and I got my ass kicked by this guy.
He just buried me in paper. Brutal.
This guy was the toughest mother I'd ever been up against.
- Make a point. - It was Kurt Potter.
When we got the PG&E decision from the judge,
I called him and asked him to partner.
- He didn't hesitate. - He wouldn't hesitate now.
We did all the fucking work! Where was he before?
It doesn't matter. Erin, will you listen to me?
You want to win this? He just gave me this check.
It covers all our expenses to date,
and he's got more toxic tort experience than anyone in the state.
This is good news.
By the way, I got Pamela Duncan.
Hey.
I'll open, Mommy.
You want to open the can for Mommy? Here, I'll help you.
Can you turn it?
[Motorcycle Revving] [Gasps] Hi, George.
Let's go see.
[Revving Continues] Let's go see.
[Revving Continues]
[Motorcycle Departing]
- Erin Brockovich? - Yeah.
Package from Masry & Vititoe.
Thank you. Thank you.
What's in here? Baby.
There's no baby in here. What is it? A dolly.
It's a dolly? It's...
Look.
"Look" is right.
[Gasps]
Do you see that? Do you see that?
I want that. I want that too.
It's our lucky day. Matthew! Katie!
PG&E has requested that we submit to binding arbitration.
What's that?
That's where we try the case without a jury, just before a judge.
It's called a test trial.
The judge’s decision is final. There is no appeal.
How many plaintiffs do you have?
Six hundred and thirty-four.
They'll never try that many all at once.
So we need to get them together in groups of 20 or 30;
worst cases, the most life-threatened, the sickest in the first group.
And so on and so on.
Each one gets a go before the judge to determine damages.
PG&E has proposed that they're liable...
anywhere between 50 and 400 million.
So... Wait a minute. Let me just get this straight...
If we went to trial, PG&E could stretch this over ten years...
with appeal after appeal.
Those people in Hinkley... These people are expecting a trial.
That's what we told them.
They won't understand this.
Kurt thinks it's the best way to go.
[Kurt] I promise you that we'll be very sensitive on this point.
We will make sure that they understand this is the only way we can go forward at this time.
But we have a lot of work to do...
before we even broach that subject.
Why don't I take Erin down the hall,
so we can start on this stuff, and I'll fill her in on the rest of the details.
[Kurt] Thanks. Those are my files.
Yeah, we had them couriered over.
Listen, good work. They're a great start.
We're just going to have to spend a little time filling in the holes in your research.
Excuse me. Theresa, is it?
There are no holes in my research.
No offense. There are just some things we need that you probably didn't know to ask.
Don't talk to me like I'm an idiot, okay?
I may not have a law degree, but I've spent 18 months on this case,
and I know more about these plaintiffs than you ever will.
Erin, you don't even have phone numbers for some of them.
Whose number do you need? [Theresa] Everyone's.
This is a lawsuit. We need to be able to contact the plaintiffs.
I said, "Whose number do you need?"
You don't know 600 plaintiffs' numbers by heart.
- Annabelle Daniels. - 714-454-9346.
Ten years old, eleven in May. Lived on the plume since birth.
Wanted to be a synchronized swimmer,
so she spent every minute she could in the PG&E pool.
She had a tumor on her brain stem detected last November,
an operation on Thanksgiving, shrunk it with radiation after that.
Her parents are Ted and Rita. Ted's got Crohn's disease.
Rita has chronic headaches and nausea and underwent a hysterectomy last fall.
Ted grew up in Hinkley. His brother Robbie and his wife May...
and their five children... Robbie, Jr., Martha, Ed, Rose and Peter...
also lived on the plume.
Their number is 454-9554. You want their diseases?
Okay, look, I think we got off on the wrong foot here.
That's all you got, lady: Two wrong feet and fucking ugly shoes.
[Erin] She insulted me.
Bullshit. It was a misunderstanding.
Instead of handling it politely, instead of treating her with respect,
you insult her. Why the fuck should I respect her?
Just because she's not supporting three kids...
with no husband and no education, doesn't make her an idiot.
Just because she dresses like a lawyer,
doesn't mean she didn't work her ass off...
in law school and shit positions to earn her way.
Excuse me for not going to law school.
Law school? I'd settle for charm school!
[Cow Mooing]
Mister... Mister... Mr. Linwood!
[Clearing Throat] Mr. Linwood?
Bob?
[Erin Blowing Nose] 6086 Ridge Road,
[Clears Throat] Hinkley, California. 714...
[Sneezes] 455...
[Theresa] Okay, now, if you could walk me through...
all of the elements of...
Annabelle's illnesses.
Specific details, when the symptoms began...
prior to the first medical visit.
If you could reserve sentimental embellishments, I'd appreciate it.
They're not gonna help you in court. All right.
So I just need facts, dates... time.
[Erin] I know Theresa isn't real warm, but they say she's a good lawyer.
[Ted] She's asking the same questions you asked.
I already told you everything. I don't want her coming to the house again.
She's kind of stuck-up, and she upsets Annabelle.
If you don't like Theresa, that's okay.
You know how important Annabelle is to me.
Ed and I are still here for you.
I called Ed two days ago, and he still hasn't called me back.
Now I hate to say this, but... everyone's pretty upset about this arbitration thing.
What?
Pamela's written a letter in the Hinkley news...
telling everybody to get new lawyers, that we've been lied to.
Is it true? No. [Stammering]
Did you? I'm telling you the truth,
and I will get to the bottom of all this.
Don't lie to us.
I will take care of this. I promise. We're trusting you here.
Thanks. I'll talk to you soon, okay? All right. Bye-bye.
Ed, I'm not saying it's not a strong case.
If it wasn't a strong case, every demurrer wouldn't have been dismissed.
I wouldn't be here. What I am saying is we still don't have...
a smoking gun that ties San Francisco to Hinkley;
something that proves that prior to 1987...
PG&E corporate knew the water was bad in Hinkley and did nothing about it.
[Rosalind] Hey, Erin, I thought you were taking a sick day.
So did I.
What's going on in there? A meeting about the PG&E thing.
Are you sure? Yep.
[Kurt] We can find it or we don't have a big win.
Can I take a brief break here for a moment?
I'll be right back.
[Arguing, Indistinct]
[Arguing Continues]
You told me you weren't feeling great. I wanted you to rest. You know, that is bullshit.
Get in here. If I was on my deathbed,
if it helped you, you'd drag me out of it!
How could you take this away from me?
Nobody's taking anything. Bullshit! You stuck me in Siberia...
dictating to some goddamn steno clerk...
so you could finish this without me!
They screwed up, Erin! Do I have your attention now? They admit it.
The arbitration proposal they sent might as well have been written in Sanskrit...
for all the sense it made to the people in Hinkley.
I know. L-I spoke to Ted. Pamela Duncan wouldn't even get on the phone with me!
Pamela's got everybody seeing red with that letter she wrote to the press.
She called us thieves. They're all listening to her.
The whole thing is about to fall apart! Why? Why?
Before we even go to arbitration,
we have to get the plaintiffs to agree. How many?
Usually they're required to get about 70%.
PG&E is demanding 90. In other words, everybody.
Now do you understand? This is serious.
And what? I'm not serious?
You're emotional. You're erratic.
You say any goddamn thing that comes into your head.
You make this personal and it isn't. Not personal?
That is my work, my sweat, my time away from my kids!
If that's not personal, I don't know what is!
[Coughing]
Come on. Come on.
Go home. Get well.
You're no good to me sick.
I need you, all right?
This case needs you.
Did you tell them that?
Binding arbitration isn't all that different from a trial.
It's overseen by a judge, evidence is presented in much the same way.
[Man] And then a jury decides? [Coughs]
Oh, no. Sorry I forgot to mention that.
There's no jury in binding arbitration. [Crowd Murmuring Loudly]
- No jury and no appeal. - [Crowd Continues Murmuring]
What option do we have if we don't like the result?
You have none. The judge's decision is final.
Not a good answer. [Ed] We don't anticipate that being a problem.
As I already told you,
it's definitely between $50 and $400 million.
Well, which? There's a big difference there.
I wouldn't like to speculate at this point.
[Tom Mumbling] Well, how does it get divided?
- Yeah. Who gets what? - [Crowd Chattering]
My medical bills started two years ago, before some of the other people here.
My daughter has been in and out of hospitals more than his.
It shouldn't matter when it started. [Crowd Agreeing]
Just a minute, please. People, listen, please!
The point we have to address tonight...
is getting everyone to agree that going binding arbitration...
is preferable to a trial that could go on for ten years before you see any money.
Maybe some of us want to wait ten years.
[Crowd Chattering]
Everyone has to agree or no one has a chance.
Those of you about to leave, I'd like you to keep this date in mind:
1978.
That's the year of the Love Canal controversy,
and those people are still waiting for their money.
Think about where you'll be in 15 or 20 years. Huh?
[Crowd Murmuring]
Look, everyone, is this a big decision?
Absolutely. But I do not believe this is a sellout.
This is the best shot at getting everyone some money now!
You and I both know...
there are people in this room who can't afford to wait...
to take that chance.
Are you gonna make them wait?
So how many altogether? [Sighs]
We got just about everybody that came here tonight,
but that still leaves us about 150 short.
Oh, shit.
[Clears Throat] We'll have to go door-to-door.
I gotta go pick up my kids.
You need a hand with that? No, I got it.
Hey... you did good.
We'll see.
Yeah.
Hey. Hey.
Thanks for coming.
[Sighs]
Don't take them anywhere on your bike, okay?
I'll give you some money for a cab if you want to go somewhere.
[Chuckles] I got money.
So how long is this gonna take?
Uh... I don't know. A few days.
You got your own room.
I am really sorry, George.
Have the kids eaten?
No.
(sing)(music) I've wept for those who suffer long (music)
(sing)(music) But how I weep for those who've gone (music)
(sing)(music) Into rooms of grief and questioned wrong (music)
(sing)(music) But keep on killing (music)
(sing)(music) It's in the soul to feel such things (music)
(sing)(music) But weak to watch without speaking (music)
(sing)(music) Oh, what mercy sadness brings (music)
(sing)(music) If God be willing (music)
[George] You want to get some pancakes? Let's go. Everybody, up.
Everybody, up today. All right.
Let's get some pancakes. [Erin] What time is it?
It's early. I'm gonna take your car and get some breakfast.
Mm-hmm. No, I need my car.
We'll be back in a minute.
Okay. Get some sleep.
Hey, Matt, buddy. Let's go. What?
Put it down. Let's go. I'll be there in a minute.
Let's go get some pancakes, girlie. Come on.
Baby, don't play with that.
It took me so long to get it organized. Will you put that back?
Please? This girl is the same age as me.
She's one of the sick people?
Uh... she is, but... that's why I'm helping her.
We'll get her some medicine and make her feel better.
Why can't her own mama help her?
Because her own mom is real sick too.
[Sighs]
I'll bring you back some breakfast.
You want eggs?
Eggs would be great.
[Door Closes]
[Chuckles Softly]
Eggs would be perfect.
Hey, Matt. Hey, Erin, how are you?
That's good.
So, been at this all day? Yeah.
You look tired. You want some coffee? I'd love some.
I'll make a fresh pot. Thanks.
[Men Laughing]
Hey, don't I know you? I don't think so.
Sure, you were at the barbecue in Hinkley...
and at the town meeting. Hmm.
I was watching you.
I had my eye on you.
How nice. Sure, you were talking to everybody...
and writing down a lot of stuff.
When I saw you, I said to myself,
"There's something about her.
I really like that girl."
Matt, can I get that coffee to go? Sure thing.
I feel like I can talk to you too.
Like you're the type of person I could say anything to.
Here you go. Great. What do I owe you?
There's no charge. Thanks, Matt.
Well, nice talking to you.
Would it be important to you if I told you that when I worked at the Hinkley plant,
I destroyed documents?
Maybe. [Sets Down Keys, Purse]
What did you say your name was? Charles Embry.
Charles, Erin. Nice to meet you.
[Sighs]
Can you excuse me for just a quick...
Sure. I'm just gonna run to the...
[Panting]
[Phone Beeping] Oh, come on.
[Phone Beeping] Oh, you fucking piece of crap with no signal!
Fuck! Oh.
[Phone Rings]
Yeah? [Erin] Ed. Ed, oh, my God.
This guy Charles said that he destroyed records. He worked at Hinkley.
Slow down, slow down. I'm trying to relax and this guy tells me...
Who? Who? Charles Embry.
First I thought he was trying to kill me, but then I thought he was trying to pick me up.
Maybe he is, but why would he say that? Why would he use that as his line?
It's crazy. [Stammering] Shit.
Now go back and see if he'll make a declaration.
A declaration. Yeah, but be careful. Don't scare him off.
Now stay calm, stay calm.
Remember, if it weren't for you, I'd be in Palm Springs now.
You're good at talking people into things.
Don't pepper him with questions. Don't do that.
Just... Just let...
People want to tell their story. Just let him talk.
Let him do all the talking, all right? Okay.
[Erin Approaches, Sighs, Puts Down Purse]
Sorry. [Clears Throat]
Would you like another beer or...
My cousin passed away yesterday.
He had kidney tumors, no colon.
His intestines were eaten away.
Forty-one years old.
I remember seeing him over at the plant.
He's be cleaning the cooling towers, wearing one of those...
What do you call them? Mask?
Yeah, yeah. Doctors' masks.
They'd be soaked in red from the nosebleeds.
I was working in the compressor.
Out of nowhere, the supervisor calls me up to the office...
and says, "I'm gonna give you a shredder machine...
and send you on down to the warehouse to get rid of the documents stored there."
Did he say why?
Nope... and I didn't ask.
Did you get a look at the stuff you destroyed?
A lot of dull stuff. Vacation schedules and the like.
But then there were a few memos...
about the holding ponds, the water in them...
and readings from the test wells.
Stuff like that.
You were told to destroy those? That's right.
Of course, as it turns out, I wasn't a very good employee.
[Chuckles]
Good morning. Good morning. Good morning.
Ed, Erin, what's this?
May I? [Ed] Definitely. Go ahead.
[Erin Sighs] Well... you know what, Mr. Potter?
We completely forgot your birthday this year,
and seeing as how you've been so good to me, it seemed a terrible oversight.
So what Ed and I have been doing the last few days...
is putting together a present for you.
Six hundred and thirty-four.
They're all signed. Every single one.
Holy shit. Now, don't go getting jealous, Theresa.
She's getting jealous. We have something for you too.
Internal PG&E documents all about the contamination.
The one that I like best says...
I'm paraphrasing, but it says: Yes, the water's poisonous,
but it would be better for all involved...
if this matter was not discussed with the neighbors.
It's to the Hinkley station from PG&E headquarters,
stamped, "Received March 1966."
[Stammering]
H-How did you do this?
Well, seeing as I have no brains or legal expertise...
and Ed was losing all faith in the system... [Ed] Completely.
No faith, no faith. I just went out there and performed sexual favors:
634 blow jobs in five days.
I'm really quite tired. [Chuckles]
[Sighs]
[Ed Chuckling]
I'm still not sure why you wanted me to come.
I want to show you what you helped do.
Hey. [Donna] Hi.
How are you feeling today? Good, good.
It's a good day. Oh, I'm glad.
Well, come on in. What a nice surprise this is.
Um... Donna...
I wanted to come out here instead of calling...
because the judge came back with a number.
[Sighs]
Uh...
for the whole group or... for us?
Both.
He's gonna make them pay 333 million.
[Sighs, Laughs] Oh, my God. And...
And, um...
he's gonna make them give 5 million of that to your family.
Five million dollars? Five million dollars.
[Laughing] I don't even know how much money that is.
Well, it's enough. It's enough for whatever you could ever need...
or whatever your girls need or your girls' girls need.
It will be enough. [Crying] Oh, Erin...
[Continues Crying]
Thank you so much.
[Softly] It's over now.
[Donna Continues Crying]
I don't know what I would have done without you.
It's a good day. [Laughing] Yes.
This is too much.
[Rosalind] Masry & Vititoe. Can l... Shoot.
[Phone Ringing]
Hi, I have a delivery for Ed Masry.
It's the last office down the corridor on the right. Thank you.
Masry & Vititoe... Damn it. Does anyone...
know anything about these phones?
[Ed] Everybody loves the desk you picked out for me.
It's great. Yeah. [Knocking]
And guess who's on the cover of Los Angeles Lawyer magazine?
Talk to you later, baby. Bye.
Thank you. You're welcome.
I would rather walk her through this in person.
There's some things I want to show her: Visual aids and documents.
If you could just tell her I won't take up too much of her time.
Right.
It's a little more complicated than Hinkley, so let me do that.
Tell her I'm not a lawyer. That may help.
Great. Why don't you give me the address now?
Just in case.
Okay. Mm-hmm.
All right. Thanks so much. Bye.
[Sighs] What's up?
I, uh... I have your bonus check.
Oh, yea... But... now...
I want you to be prepared.
The figure's not exactly what we discussed.
Why not?
Because, after careful consideration,
I felt that figure was not... appropriate.
Although you may not agree,
you'll have to trust my experience...
Trust? You want me to trust you?
Do me a favor, Ed. Don't use big words you don't understand.
It's a complicated issue. You're not a qualified lawyer. I did a job.
You should reward me accordingly. It's not complicated.
That is the fucking problem.
All you lawyers do is complicate situations that aren't complicated.
Do you know why people think all lawyers are backstabbing, bloodsucking scumbags?
Because they are. I cannot believe you are doing this to me now...
when I'm up to my ass in Kettleman plaintiffs,
which looks like double the amount we had in Hinkley.
You expect me to go out there,
leave my kids to be looked after by strangers, knock on doors,
get these people to trust you with their lives, and the whole time you're screwing me!
I want you to know something, Ed. It is not about the number.
It is about the way my work is valued in this firm.
It's about how no matter what I do, you're not...
As I was saying,
I decided that the figure you proposed...
was inappropriate.
So I increased it.
Do they teach beauty queens how to apologize?
Because you suck at it.
Uh, thank you, Ed.
(sing)(music) I hitched a ride (music)
(sing)(music) With a vending machine repairman (music)
(sing)(music) He said he's been down this road more than twice (music)
(sing)(music) He was high on intellectualism (music)
(sing)(music) I've never been there but the brochure looks nice (music)
(sing)(music) Jump in Let's go (music)
(sing)(music) Lay back Enjoy the show (music)
[Knocking] (sing)(music) Everybody gets high (music)
(sing)(music) Everybody gets low (music)
(sing)(music) These are the days when anything goes (music)
(sing)(music) Every day is a winding road (music)
(sing)(music) I get a little bit closer (music)
(sing)(music) Every day is a faded sign (music)
(sing)(music) I get a little bit closer to feeling fine (music)
(sing)(music) Every day is a winding road (music)
{{{the end}}}