Erin Brockovich facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Erin Brockovich
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Brockovich in 2016
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| Born |
Erin Pattee
June 22, 1960 Lawrence, Kansas, US
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| Alma mater | Wade College (AAA) |
| Occupation | Consumer advocate |
| Spouse(s) |
Shawn Brown
(m. 1982; div. 1987)Steven Brockovich
(m. 1989; div. 1990)Eric L. Ellis
(m. 1998; div. 2012) |
| Children | 3 |
Erin Brockovich (born June 22, 1960) is an American paralegal, a person who helps lawyers. She is also a consumer advocate and an environmental activist. This means she works to protect people's rights and the environment.
In 1993, Erin Brockovich helped build a big legal case against the Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E). This company was accused of polluting groundwater in Hinkley, California. The lawsuit was successful. Later, a famous movie called Erin Brockovich (2000) was made about her story. Julia Roberts played Erin in the movie.
Since then, Erin Brockovich has become well-known. She has hosted TV shows and works as a consultant for law firms. These firms often focus on helping people who have been harmed by pollution.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Erin Pattee Brockovich was born in Lawrence, Kansas. Her mother, Betty Jo, was a journalist, and her father, Frank Pattee, was an industrial engineer. Erin has two brothers and one sister.
She went to Lawrence High School. After that, she studied at Kansas State University. She later earned a degree from Wade College in Dallas, Texas.
Fighting for Clean Water in Hinkley
In 1993, Erin Brockovich discovered many people in Hinkley, California, were getting sick. She found out that the Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) might be responsible. She then helped to sue the company for polluting the town's drinking water.
The lawsuit claimed that PG&E had contaminated the water with a dangerous chemical called hexavalent chromium. This chemical was used at a PG&E compressor station built in 1952. The station was part of a natural-gas pipeline. For years, waste water with this chemical was dumped into ponds. This waste then seeped into the groundwater, affecting a large area near the plant.
In 1996, the case was settled for $333 million. This was the largest settlement ever paid in a direct lawsuit in the United States at that time. The law firm Erin worked for received a part of this money. Erin Brockovich herself received $2.5 million for her important work on the case.
Other Environmental Cases
Erin Brockovich continued to work with lawyer Edward L. Masry on other lawsuits against pollution.
Contamination Cases
- One case accused the Whitman Corporation of chromium pollution in Willits, California.
- Another lawsuit involved 1,200 people. It claimed pollution near another PG&E station in Kings County, California. This case settled for $335 million in 2006.
Mold and School Concerns
In 2003, Erin Brockovich had problems with mold in her own home. She received money to settle her lawsuit about the toxic mold. After this, she became an activist and educator about mold issues.
She also helped file a lawsuit against the Beverly Hills Unified School District in 2003. This lawsuit claimed that oil wells on the school campus were harming students' health. However, later tests did not find a strong link, and the case was dismissed.
Missouri and Texas Water Issues
In 2009, Brockovich investigated a case in St. Joseph, Missouri. A company was accused of giving farmers waste from leather production. This waste contained high levels of hexavalent chromium. It was thought to be linked to many brain tumors in the area.
In June 2009, she also began looking into contaminated water in Midland, Texas. High levels of hexavalent chromium were found in the water of over 40 homes there. Erin Brockovich noted that the levels were even higher than what she saw in Hinkley.
Recent Activism
In early 2016, Brockovich became involved in a case against Southern California Gas. This was due to a large methane leak from an underground storage facility near Los Angeles.
In early 2023, after a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, Erin Brockovich received many calls for help. She visited East Palestine and spoke at town hall meetings. She highlighted how chemical spills and pollution often happen because companies prioritize profits over safety. She continues to warn about the dangers of environmental damage and the need for better regulations.
Awards and Recognition
Erin Brockovich has received several honorary degrees for her work:
- An honorary Doctor of Laws from Lewis & Clark Law School in 2005.
- An honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Loyola Marymount University in 2007.
- An honorary Master of Arts in Business Communication from Jones International University.
Movies and Television Shows
Erin Brockovich's work against Pacific Gas & Electric was the main focus of the 2000 movie Erin Brockovich. Julia Roberts won an Academy Award for Best Actress for playing Erin. Erin Brockovich herself had a small role in the movie as a waitress.
She also appeared in the 2012 documentary Last Call at the Oasis. This film discussed water pollution and how we manage water resources in the United States.
In 2021, a TV series called Rebel premiered on ABC. The show's creator based the story loosely on Erin Brockovich's life.
Books and Articles
Erin Brockovich has written two books:
- Take It from Me: Life's a Struggle But You Can Win (published in 2001).
- Superman's Not Coming (released in 2020).
She has also written articles about important environmental issues. In 2021, she wrote about chemicals that harm human fertility. In 2022, she wrote about the case of lawyer Steven Donziger. In July 2024, she wrote an essay for The New York Times. In this essay, she warned about court decisions that could weaken environmental protections. She believes this could put Americans' health at risk.
Personal Life
Erin Brockovich has three children. She has a son, Matthew, and a daughter, Katie, from her first marriage. She also has a daughter, Elizabeth, from her second marriage. Her third husband was Eric L. Ellis.
As of 2016, Erin Brockovich lives in Agoura Hills, California. She bought her house in 1996 with part of the money she received from the Hinkley settlement. Erin Brockovich is dyslexic, which means she has a learning difference that affects reading.
See also
In Spanish: Erin Brockovich para niños
- Crystal Lee Sutton
