In A Civil Action (1998), the “reasonable use” of water is under question. The film explores whether or not those who used the same water source as does a leather tanning company were adversely affected by the company’s water use.
Although the film primarily centers on Jan Schlichtmann’s (John Travolta) failed attempts to sue both Beatrice and W.R. Grace, he ultimately proves that the tannery these companies manage dumped silicone and trichloroethylene (TCE), toxic waste that contaminated a town’s water supply and caused multiple cancers in its townspeople.
The film traces attorney Schlichtmann’s investigation into a case that revolves around a woman whose son had died of leukemia two years before, along with more than a dozen other townspeople. The city’s drinking water is blamed, but the townspeople seem unaware of the source of this water pollution.
It is Schlichtmann who discovers a tannery connected with W.R. Grace dumping toxins into the river beside the factory. When he learns representatives of Beatrice Foods and W.R. Grace are culpable and have big pockets, a lawsuit begins. Schlichtmann’s investigation is meant to determine that silicone and trichloroethylene (TCE) were dumped into the water supply by the tannery and causing the cancers in townspeople.
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