Summary: Erin Brockovich and law firms head to Porter Ranch, California, to sign clients to file lawsuits against Southern California Gas Company.
Is Erin Brockovich aiming for a sequel?
The Los Angeles Times reports that the celebrity legal activist is at Porter Ranch in California, hoping to get residents to file lawsuits against Southern California Gas Company.
Southern California Gas Company’s ruptured well has drawn numerous law firms to the Aliso Canyon region. Firms have been holding meetings and running advertisements to try to persuade Porter Ranch families to join suits claiming “negligence, hazardous activity, nuisance and trespass and seek compensation for emotional and physical injuries, as well as for diminished property values.”
Brockovich, 55, held a meeting this month in front of 400 Porter Ranch citizens on behalf of law firm, Weitz & Luxenberg. Using her trademark blunt style, she told the crowd that after a few minutes in somebody’s Porter Ranch house she felt “dizzy.” She claimed that a doctor diagnosed her with chemically-induced bronchitis because of the environment, The Los Angeles Times reported.
The message at Brockovich’s meeting was that the fumes in the area caused by the three-month-old leak were toxic, and that the victims in the area needed to be compensated. Already, 25 lawsuits have been filed seeking damages against Southern California Gas Comoany and its parent firm, Sempra Energy. The majority of the lawsuits originated from Porter Ranch, a small town of 30,000.
Southern California Gas Company is insured for more than $1 billion and is represented by Latham & Watkins.
Brockovich currently owns a consulting firm, Brockovich Research & Consulting. She made headlines in 1993 when she led and won a class-action lawsuit against Pacific Gas & Electric, which had allegedly polluted the water in Hinkley, California. The battle won a $333 million settlement, and the film based on the story, “Erin Brockovich,” won an Oscar for its star, Julia Roberts.
Source: The Los Angeles Times