movie‚ A Civil Action‚ the plaintiff’s case commenced when a group of various parents and families suspected that the health related issues and deaths in their city of Woburn was the result of contaminated water. Although the attorney‚ Jan Schlichtmann‚ was reluctant to take the case at first because they didn’t have plausible cause “who is going to apologize to you when you don’t know who did it and pay me” [1]‚ he perceived that 2 corporations sat on the border of the river. Mr. Schlichtmann and his
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Movies that are "based on actual events" are usually not the same as the real events upon which they are based. "A Civil Action" is one of these movies. The basic points covered in the movie are the same. However there were some key elements from the trial left out of the movie. These elements were some of the crucial errors made by Schlichtmann that led to him losing the case. The basic main events are the same as they were portrayed in the movie. The trial did last for 78 days in which the verdict
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A Civil Action The movie A Civil Action is focused on describing and explaining what really goes on in a court of law. The case the movie deals with is a small firm going after a national corporation in order to get them to apologize for what they did to the city’s water. It is believed that the company would dump harmful waste such as trichloroethylene into the back of their site where the company was located into a small running river. However‚ the river was connected to the city’s water wells
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Justin Pizzimenti Mr. Krais Hnrs. Civil‚ Criminal‚ and Constitutional Law 30 April 2012 A Civil Action Essay The legal thriller A Civil Action‚ starring John Travolta and Robert Duval‚ chronicles the story of personal injury attorney Jan Schlichtmann as he brings to trial a case involving the dumping of toxic waste by two large companies that allegedly results in the contamination of well water and the death of several children from leukemia in Woburn‚ Massachusetts. Based on a true story‚ the
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Martinson-Packer Legal Studies November 20‚ 2012 The American Legal system was established to create an ordered and free society by our founding fathers. Its goal was to ensure fairness among the people‚ and server justice to those who violate the civil liberties established. Many of people take it for granted‚ or even don’t bother trying to understand it‚ because of it complexities. Despite how elaborate the American Legal system can be there are some who strive to comprehend. By doing so they hope
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“A Civil Action” by Jonathan Harr What is the difference between a criminal and a civil case? Criminal cases require that a verdict be made without a “shadow of doubt‚” but in civil cases that is not the case. Professor Nesson in “A Civil Action” states that civil cases only need around 51 percent to determine liability. This book was a very interesting read because it takes us through the different parts of a civil trial and how the case even got started. It is especially important to consider
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The Civil Action (1988) is film that based on a true story of an environmental lawsuit‚ which took place in Woburn‚ Mass. In this movie‚ Jan Schlittman‚ a personal injury lawyer‚ agrees to represent a group of families whose children died from leukemia after a large corporation carelessly deposed toxic chemicals damaged the water supply for Woburn‚ Mass. This case becomes Jan’s obsession‚ even to the extent that he is willing to give up everything. When we look at the case in ethical way‚ we can
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Aly El-Mansy Ms. Baker A Civil Action Essay In this movie‚ Jan Schlichtmann gets played by John Travolta as he goes through the life changing case with his lawyer firm. He had come up with this trial by parents calling him up looking for answers. These parents had one thing in common. They had lost children to Leukemia and they credited it to the water being contaminated by the pouring of a threatening chemical called Trichloroethylene. At first the reason to why he took this case was because
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A Civil Action Legal Terms 1. Settlements a. A settlement is an agreement that both parties have come to decide on without the need of going through court litigation b. In this movie‚ before the case was introduced introduced into court and defendants came up with a 2 million dollar settlement. 2. Lawsuit a. a lawsuit is a court process at law or in equity to determine the legal merits of a controversy. b. In this movie Schlictman tries to sue a leather company for the wrongful
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A Civil Action Film Review SEM115 Film Through The Decades A Civil Action is a legal based movie‚ of a true story‚ that revolves around some heavy ethical issues. It features two large‚ supposedly polluting factories in Woburn‚ MA. This movie highlights the scenes both inside and outside the courtroom to make it easily understandable for the viewers. The looming ethical issue in A Civil Action is the value of human lives in
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