Walter Jan Shlictmann Case

In the film A Civil Action, Jan Schlictmann is the plaintiff representing the eight families of the children who died of leukemia, which the families suspect to be caused by chemical contamination of the water in Woburn, Massachusetts. Anne Anderson spearheads this group of families and is the spokesperson for the group. Schlictmann initially does not want to take the case, arguing that the only reason the case may be successful in court is if the court sees a theatrical value in the dead children. [1] However, after being informed that the defendants are Beatrice Foods and W.R. Grace, both wealthy companies with astronomical assets, Schlictmann takes the case. The defendants are William Cheeseman and Jerome Facher, who represent Grace and
Skinner decides that it would be a bad thing for the case if the families took the stand, as it would just make it drag on longer, and eventually says that they will decide this portion of the case based on the geological evidence. At this point, Facher offers Schlictmann 20 million, which Schlictmann turns down. The jury deems Beatrice innocent and Facher packs up and leaves. However, the case continues against W.R. Grace, and at this point, the law firm only has a few chairs and their phones, with no furniture anymore. Later, Grace offers them 8 million, and Schlictmann wants more, but ultimately accepts after a verbal berating by Gordon. When it’s all said and done, each family got 325 thousand dollars, which disappoints the families. Ultimately, the law firm attempts to justify why the money isn’t that much, but Anne Anderson replies by saying “How can you even begin to compare what you've lost, to what we've lost.” [1] Finally, Schlictmann, now more or less broke, sends the appeals case with additional incriminating evidence to the EPA, who ultimately win the appeals in court, and makes the companies undertake the 69.4 million cleanup project, the largest cleanup project up to that point in history.