What is the plot of the movie A Civil Action?
In this legal thriller based on a true story, John Travolta stars as Jan Schlichtmann, a tenacious personal-injury attorney whose fierce determination entangles him in a case that threatens to destroy him. The case — which appears straight forward — instead evolves into a labyrinthine lawsuit of vast dimensions, in the intelligent, fast-paced drama, “A Civil Action.”
A Civil Action/Film synopsis
Is A Civil Action movie the same as the book?
A Civil Action is a 1995 non-fiction book by Jonathan Harr about a water contamination case in Woburn, Massachusetts, in the 1980s. A 1998 film of the same name, starring John Travolta as plaintiff’s lawyer Jan Schlichtmann and Robert Duvall as Beatrice Foods attorney Jerome Facher, was based on the book.
What is the main idea of A Civil Action?
The central themes of A Civil Action are the pursuit of justice and the question of corporate and judicial ethics. The pursuit of justice: The Woburn case is exceptional in that concerns a massive, concealed transgression.
Is civil action a true story?
“A Civil Action” is a true story of a lawyer bringing a civil suit on behalf of 8 families of childhood leukemia victims in Woburn, Massachusetts that doubles as a lesson in lawyering. The New York Times Best Seller turned into a movie with John Travolta in the leading role.
What is the meaning of civil action?
A civil action is a noncriminal lawsuit that begins with a complaint and usually involves private parties. The plaintiff is the party filing the complaint, and the defendant is the party defending against the complaint’s allegations.
Who won the Woburn case?
He turned it down. Lawyers around town whispered about the crazy young attorney who had refused a million-dollar settlement from MGH. Schlichtmann took the case to trial and won $4.7 million. It was thought to be the largest malpractice award in Massachusetts history.
What was the cause of action in the movie A Civil Action?
The lawsuit, filed by their attorney, Jan Schlichtmann, alleged that improper disposal of toxic chemicals used on the defendants’ properties polluted the local ground water that flowed to the two municipal wells, was distributed in Woburn’s water-supply system, and consumption of the polluted water caused severe …
How does a civil action end?
The EPA files charges against the tannery’s owners, and a much higher settlement is eventually offered and accepted, which included an apology and cleanup. At the end, it’s revealed that it took Jan several years to pay off all of his debts, and he has since taken another polluted water case.
Where is Jan Schlichtmann today?
Jan Schlichtmann Joins ClassAction.com as Of Counsel Attorney.
What are types of civil actions?
Civil cases
- Personal Injury Tort Claims. One of the most common cases in civil litigation is personal injury claims.
- Contract Disputes.
- Equitable Claims.
- Class Action Suits.
- Divorce and Family Law Disputes.
- Property Disputes.
What childhood disease did Jimmy contract in the Woburn MA civil action story?
IN January 1972, a woman in Woburn, Mass., named Anne Anderson took her 3-year-old son Jimmy for treatment of what seemed a severe cold, and soon learned to her horror that the illness was leukemia. This private tragedy would become a public one as, through the 1970’s, Ms.
Is civil action based on a true story?
A Civil Action is a film based on the true story of a group of families in a small town just north of Boston who sued major US companies in the early 1980s for leukemia deaths and other health problems caused by the dumping of poisonous chemicals that seeped into their community’s water supply.
Is a civil action on Netflix USA?
Watch ‘A Civil Action’ on Netflix in USA. In this drama based on a true story, John Travolta stars as a personal-injury lawyer who sues a major corporation when the drinking water in Woburn, Mass., is found to contain high levels of industrial solvents.
What is action or civil action?
A civil action is a legal action filed to resolve a private dispute. These types of suits are not based on criminal laws or statutes. Instead, civil actions are meant to redress a wrong committed by one party against the other.
