Introduction
In the present day, the film industry frequently distorts reality and inaccurately portrays various spheres of human activity, including the legal system, to add excitement and evoke viewers’ emotions. As a result, it forms incorrect perceptions and causes misunderstandings, which occur when people face real procedures expecting them to be as glamorous and attractive as they are on screen.
The paper examines Erin Brockovich, a 2000 American legal drama, and how accurately this movie portrays the U.S. legal system. According to the findings, unlike multiple other works of the same genre, it provides a highly accurate portrayal of the nation’s legislation related to direct-action lawsuits. It may help the general public get acquainted with the legal system of the United States.
Discussion
In the film, Erin is a single mother who is desperately in need of employment to raise her three children. After Ed Masry, her lawyer, failed to help her win the case against the driver following a traffic accident, she forced the former to offer her a paid position in his office (Soderbergh, 2000). Due to her sense of responsibility and attention to detail, Erin noticed suspicious details in Donna Jensen’s real estate case related to the medical records of family members.
After a thorough investigation, she discovered that the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) had contaminated the groundwater of Hinkley, California, with hexavalent chromium, which was used in the compressor station’s cooling system to combat corrosion (Soderbergh, 2000). This type of chromium caused serious health issues for the town’s residents, and PG&E was aware of this situation; however, for fifteen years, it lied about the safety of drinking water in the region. After collecting evidence, Masry and Brockovich won a legal case against PG&E with a $333 million settlement, the largest in history.
Erin Brockovich portrays the legal system accurately – first and foremost, it is a biographical film based on the real-life story of Erin Brockovich. Moreover, according to her, almost all details were depicted correctly (Wieder, 2023). First of all, the movie reflects a lengthy process of collecting evidence, a precise and tedious legal task. In other words, it shows that filing a lawsuit is associated with a substantial workload – it requires searching for evidence in documents, collecting materials related to the case, and engaging in multiple conversations and meetings with plaintiffs to establish trust between them and their lawyer (Wieder, 2023). Additionally, the movie highlights the crucial role of legal assistants in determining the outcomes of a legal case and offers insight into the administrative tasks for which they are responsible.
Moreover, the film introduces multiple terms and concepts used in the U.S. legal system in real life. For instance, one of them is a statute of limitations that regulates the period during which a lawsuit may be filed. In particular, confronting PG&E’s efforts to dismiss the plaintiffs’ complaint, Ed Masry successfully proved that the statute of limitations began to run when citizens discovered the negative consequences of chromium, even though it had been contaminating the groundwater for the last fifteen years (Soderbergh, 2000).
In addition, the movie accurately depicts litigation procedures and alternatives. For instance, Erin initially persuades plaintiffs to agree with binding arbitration as addressing the court may be unsuccessful (Soderbergh, 2000). Indeed, when a lack of evidence does not guarantee a plaintiff’s win or a defendant’s ability to dismiss a complaint, arbitration is an option for resolving disputes quickly and efficiently.
Conclusion
To conclude, Erin Brockovich is an outstanding drama film with a powerful message of the importance of truth, persistence, and humanity. At the same time, in contrast with other movies, it accurately portrays the U.S. legal system. It introduces legal terms and procedures for the general public, emphasizing that filing a lawsuit is associated with the tedious work of legal assistants and attorneys who are responsible for collecting evidence to ensure successful outcomes.
References
Soderbergh, S. (2000). Erin Brockovich. Universal Pictures.
Wieder, N. (2023). What inspiring lessons can legal assistants learn from ‘Erin Brockovich’ movie?Medium.