Erin Brockovich is an American legal clerk and environmental activist who gained fame for her role in the 1996 Hinkley groundwater contamination case. She was born on June 22, 1960, in Lawrence, Kansas, and grew up in a troubled home. She attended Kansas State University but dropped out to work as a management trainee for Kmart.
In 1981, Brockovich moved to California and worked for several years as a clerk in a law firm. In 1991, she was hired as a legal clerk at the law firm Masry & Vititoe, which was representing plaintiffs in a case against Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). Brockovich was tasked with organizing the documents and evidence for the case, and while doing so, she discovered that PG&E had been contaminating the groundwater in Hinkley, California, with the toxic chemical hexavalent chromium. She convinced her boss, attorney Ed Masry, to investigate the matter further and he eventually filed a lawsuit against PG&E on behalf of the residents of Hinkley.
Brockovich played a pivotal role in the case, gathering evidence, conducting interviews, and connecting with the affected residents. Her efforts helped to secure a $333 million settlement for the plaintiffs, which was the largest settlement ever paid in a direct-action lawsuit in US history. Her story gained national attention and was the subject of the 2000 biographical film "Erin Brockovich," in which she was portrayed by Julia Roberts. The film was a critical and commercial success and won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actress for Roberts.
Following the success of the Hinkley case, Brockovich continued to work as an environmental activist, advocating for the rights of communities affected by toxic pollution. She founded the Brockovich Research and Consulting firm, which provides consulting services for environmental, legal, and consumer issues.
Brockovich has also been involved in several high-profile environmental cases, including the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the 2014 chemical spill in West Virginia. She has written two books, "Take It From Me: Life's A Struggle But You Can Win" and "Superman's Not Coming: Our National Water Crisis And What We The People Can Do About It."
Her work has been recognized with numerous awards and honors, including the Consumer Advocate of the Year award from the Consumer Attorneys of California and the Environmentalist of the Year award from Earth Day Network. She is widely regarded as a champion of environmental justice and a symbol of empowerment for those fighting against corporate negligence and environmental injustice.
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