Stranger Than Fiction: Movies Based on Real-Life Lawsuits

Have you ever watched a movie and thought “Wow”? When the credits roll, you discover it’s “Based on true events,” and that’s even more mind-blowing.

How can something so absurd be real? Reality took its cue from Hollywood and said, “I can do better.” Courtroom dramas are the best part of factually based movies. Everyone loves to see the little man taking on corporate giants and winning.

It’s the ultimate play on David versus Goliath. This is probably why firefighters and the law fraternity aren’t the only ones taking a keen interest in the firefighting foam lawsuit. It’s giving Erin Brockovich vibes. 

And if things play out like a Hollywood script, chances are, you’ll see it on the big screen soon. To whet your appetite for legal dramas, we’re looking at some of the biggest movies in recent history based on real-life lawsuits.

Erin Brockovich

While we’re on an Erin Brockovich roll, let’s start with arguably one of Julia Roberts’s most iconic roles. Brockovich was a U.S. paralegal and environmental activist. Let’s not forget that she was unemployed and a single mom.

Brockovich was instrumental in building a rock-solid case against PG&E in California. The company was accused of covering up groundwater contamination. Roberts starred in the Academy Award-winning movie in 2000. 

As you know, with all “real-life” films, creative liberties are taken. The character Donna Jensen played an integral part in the case against PG&E. Believe it or not, the real Donna Jensen never existed. Screen Rant reported she was based on several Hinkley victims. 

There are many striking similarities between the Erin Brockovich case and the AFFF firefighting foam lawsuits. The most glaring is the class action lawsuit against AFFF (Aqueous Film Forming Foam) manufacturers, linking the firefighting foam to cancer. PFAS is the chemical compound found in AFFF, says law firm TorHoerman Law.

Firefighters claim they were exposed to PFAS toxic chemicals. The “forever chemicals” were said to increase the risk of prostate cancer and thyroid disease.

In the case of PG&E, the utility company was accused of contaminating Hinkley’s water supply. They used a chemical called chromium 6 to prevent rust at their pumping station. Residents started displaying symptoms such as recurring bronchitis and chronic coughs. The lawsuit was settled for $333 million in 1993.

Dumb Money

Dumb Money is very much life imitating art. The Netflix movie is based on the 2021 Reddit GameStop incident. Yes, the same incident that spawned thousands of memes. At its core is a real-life story of how a YouTuber took on Wall Street.

While the world was coming to terms with the pandemic, a group of amateur investors started buying GameStop stock. These investors hung out on the WallStreetBets subreddit. One of them, Keith Gill, posted that he invested $50,000 into GameStop stock. By the end of January 2021, it was worth $47 million.

What followed was a frenzy to buy GameStop stock. Here’s the crazy part. Not only did Gill cause a low-performing stock to rise. He was the reason for many rich people losing their money. This is called short selling. Gill was called to testify before Congress’ House Financial Services Committee on his role in the GameStop incident. They found no wrongdoing on his part.

Melvin Capital was one of the hedge funds that lost more than 50% on GameStop’s stock surge. The investment management firm closed its doors in 2022. In the aftermath of the GameStop saga, it faced several lawsuits. Retail investors alleged conspiracy to restrict trading.

Dark Waters

The 2019 legal thriller is based on the true story of West Virginia farmer Wilbur Tennant and his battle against the DuPont chemical company.

Corporate defense attorney Robert Bilott took on his case after claiming his livestock suffered from mysterious health problems. Tennant blamed the nearby DuPont landfill for chemical contamination. 

The toxic chemical reportedly affected 70,000 people and livestock. Bilott eventually found evidence of DuPont dumping toxic chemical waste into the town’s water supply. The case lasted for more than a decade. 

Call it the paradox effect. DuPont was also named as one of the defendants in the AFFF firefighting foam lawsuit. 

The company, with four others, recently agreed to pay Rome, Georgia, $45 million in damages. The makers of the toxic “forever chemicals” were accused of contaminating the city’s drinking water, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. DuPont had previously fought to keep the settlement amount secret but failed to do so. 

Life isn’t a movie. There isn’t always a happy ending. All we can do is hope that justice will prevail in the AFFF lawsuits. As Erin Brockovich said, “Awareness is key. In the absence of information, none of us know what is happening and what could be jeopardizing our health, our water supply, and our planet.”

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