My Story - Erin Brockovich (2024)

Say the name Erin Brockovich and you think, strong, tough, stubborn and sexy. Erin is all that and definitely more. She is a modern-day “David” who loves a good brawl with today’s “Goliaths.” She thrives on being the voice for those who don’t know how to yell. She is a rebel. She is a fighter. She is a mother. She is a woman. She is you and me.

It’s been 12 years since Julia Roberts starred in the Oscar-winning tour de force “Erin Brockovich”. The film turned an unknown legal researcher into a 20th century icon by showcasing how her dogged persistence was the impelling force behind the largest medical settlement lawsuit in history. Since then, Erinhasn’tbeen resting on her laurels… she continues to fight hard and win big!

This gutsy broaddoesn’tapologize for who she is. She has always loved going head to head with the big boys and was never intimated by their bravado. She learned how to come out on top from her tight-knit mid-western family in Lawrence, Kansas. Erin was the youngest child of an industrial engineer father and journalist mother. Her parents always believed that she could do anything she set her mind to if she learned to focus her amazing energy.

After a few years roaming around at various colleges, Erin decided that she wanted to be a California girl. She first landed a job as a management trainee for K-Mart but when thatdidn’tmake her swagger, she decided to study electrical engineering. But thatwasn’tenough for the Kansas beauty… on a fluke, she entered the Miss Pacific Coast beauty pageant… and, not surprising, won the title.

When she realized that beauty pageantsweren’ther thing, Erin, her husband and two children settled in Reno, Nevada. After divorcing, the single mother became a secretary at a brokerage firm where she met and married her second husband. But that marriage was short lived and the now mother of three was solo again.

Up until this point, Erin was the average divorced single mother trying to make a living… until she crossed paths with lawyer, Ed Masry, and changed the course of both their lives.

After being seriously injured in a traffic accident in Reno, Erin moved back to California’s San Fernando Valley, and hired Masry & Vititoe to represent her. They won a small settlement but she still needed work so she got a job at their law firm as a file clerk, it was while organizing papers on a pro bono real estate case that Erin first found medical records that would explode into the largest direct action lawsuit in US history.

Erin’s exhaustive investigation uncovered that Pacific Gas & Electric had been poisoning the small town of Hinkley’s Water for over 30 years. It was because of Erin’s unwavering tenacity that PG & E had been exposed for leaking toxic Chromium 6 into the ground water. This poison affected the health of the population of Hinkley. In 1996, as a result of the largest direct action lawsuit of its kind, spear-headed by Erin and Ed Masry, the utility giant was forced to pay out the largest toxic tort injury settlement in US history: $333 million in damages to more than 600 Hinkley residents.

The story and eventual film helped make the “Erin Brockovich” a household name. Over time, Erin realized that she could use her notoriety to spread positive messages of personal empowerment and to encourage others to stand up and make a difference.

My Story - Erin Brockovich (1)Then, for three seasons, Erin hosted the Lifetime series, “Final Justice With Erin Brockovich”. The show celebrated everyday women who triumphed when faced with overwhelming adversity.Erin Brockovich has conquered all forms of media… Her first TV project was ABC’s 2001 special “Challenge America With Erin Brockovich” where she helped motivate and organize the rebuilding of a dilapidated park in downtown Manhattan. This show is best described as “Extreme Make-Over Home Edition” on steroids.

Erin then dominated the world of publishing with her New York Times Business best-seller, “Take It From Me. Life’s A Struggle, But You Can Win”.

Because of her fighting spirit, Erin has become the champion of countless women and men. She is this generations, “Dear Abby” and in fact receives thousands of “Dear Erin” letters and emails each year from people who are begging for help and support in their own personal struggles. Erin proudly answers every one of them.

As President of Brockovich Research & Consulting, she is currently involved in numerous environmental projects worldwide.

Erin is one of the most requested speakers on the international lecture circuit and travels the world for personal appearances.

Erin Brockovich is a true American hero who’s icon status and “stick-to-it-iveness” only fuels her determination to expose injustice and lend her voice to those who do not have one.

She has requests for her help in ground water contamination complaints in every state of the US, Australia and other international hot spots. She is currently working on cases in California, Texas, Florida, Michigan, Illinois and Missouri.

Erin lives in Southern California with her husband, three children and 5 Pomeranians and admits to one guilty pleasure… shopping!

When KMBC broke the story about a cluster of brain tumors in Cameron, it drew national attention. One of those taking notice was well-known environmental activist Erin Brockovich.

My Story - Erin Brockovich (2024)

FAQs

Did Erin and George stay together? ›

Erin and Jorge did break up, but he did not leave her life. He was hired as a full time live-in nanny for Erin's children for several years, paid for by the law firm so that she would have more time to devote to her work.

What is the true story behind Erin Brockovich? ›

The film is a dramatization of the true story of Erin Brockovich, portrayed by Julia Roberts, who initiated a legal case against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company over its culpability for the Hinkley groundwater contamination incident. The film emerged as a critical and commercial success at the box-office.

How much did Ed Masry get from the settlement? ›

The case was settled in 1996 for $333 million, the largest settlement ever paid in a direct-action lawsuit in American history. The case was adapted for the successful 2000 film Erin Brockovich, with Albert Finney portraying Masry in an Academy Award nominated performance.

Did the people of Hinkley get their money? ›

On June 12, 1996, PG&E settled the Hinkley case with Girardi for $333 million, and delivered the money a few weeks later. It was trumpeted as the largest settlement of its kind. As the case unfolded, residents say, they began to feel increasingly removed from it.

Was the character George in Erin Brockovich real? ›

The character George--the biker boyfriend played by Aaron Eckhart--was based on Erin Brockovich-Ellis's Mexican-American biker boyfriend Jorge. Erin and Jorge did break up, but he did not leave her life.

Who did Erin Brockovich end up marrying? ›

Personal life. Brockovich has three children: a son, Matthew, and a daughter, Katie, from her first marriage to Shawn Brown, and a daughter, Elizabeth ("Beth"), from her second marriage to Steven Brockovich. Her third husband was actor and country-musician DJ, Eric L. Ellis.

How are Ed Masry and Tom Girardi connected? ›

Girardi was about as famous as a lawyer can get in post-O. J. America. He was one of the lawyers brought in by Ed Masry and Erin Brockovich to help sue Pacific Gas & Electric on behalf of the residents of Hinkley, California. (A composite of him and another lawyer, Walter Lack, appears in the movie).

Is Hinkley water still contaminated? ›

As of 2019, average Cr-6 levels for well water in Hinkley were still peaking at 100 times the maximum contaminant level (MCL) allowed in California, the only state with a standard for chromium.

What was Erin Brockovich bonus supposed to be? ›

This was the largest settlement ever awarded in a direct-action lawsuit in the history of the United States. The lawyers received forty percent, which was a little over $133 million. As in the film, attorney Ed Masry rewarded Erin Brockovich-Ellis with a $2-million bonus.

What is Erin Brockovich doing today? ›

Today, she is president of her own research and consulting firm, host of her own podcast, and founder of the Erin Brockovich Foundation that educates and empowers communities in their fight for clean water.

How accurate is Erin Brockovich's movie? ›

The real-life Erin Brockovich wrote a piece for CNBC and directly addressed the movie's accuracy, as well as Julia Roberts' Oscar-winning portrayal of her character. She said the movie was 98% accurate and of her swearing said, “Yes, I had a potty mouth in the movie and I still do.”

Does anyone still live in Hinkley, CA? ›

In 2008, PG&E settled the last of the cases involved with the Hinkley claims. Since then, the town's population has dwindled to the point that in 2016 The New York Times described Hinkley as having slowly become a ghost town.

What was not true in the Erin Brockovich movie? ›

In the movie, we learn that Erin Brockovich was a beauty queen, even winning the title of Miss Wichita. While the real Erin Brockovich was from Kansas and was in fact a beauty queen, she didn't win a title in her home state. The real pageant she won was Miss Pacific Coast, in 1981.

Did Erin Brockovich get sick from Hinkley? ›

Because she spent so much time in Hinkley examining the water supply, Brockovich got sick during the time of the lawsuit.

What was Erin Brockovich's bonus supposed to be? ›

This was the largest settlement ever awarded in a direct-action lawsuit in the history of the United States. The lawyers received forty percent, which was a little over $133 million. As in the film, attorney Ed Masry rewarded Erin Brockovich-Ellis with a $2-million bonus.

What was the settlement for the PG&E Erin Brockovich case? ›

In 1993, legal clerk Erin Brockovich began an investigation into the health impacts of the contamination. A class-action lawsuit about the contamination was settled in 1996 on July 2 for $333 million (around $634 million in 2023).

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