Mensch tracht, und Gott lacht

Monday, November 27, 2006

Cancel the Order for Erin's New Lamborghini

The film hagiography notwithstanding, Erin Brockovich and her firm of glorified ambulance chasers aren't just greedy, they're patently morons.

From the LA Times
:
A judge on Wednesday dismissed 12 lawsuits in a headline-making case brought by Erin Brockovich-Ellis' law firm against Beverly Hills and its school district, alleging that an oil well at Beverly Hills High School caused cancers in former students.

Without explaining his decision, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Wendell Mortimer Jr. granted the request of Beverly Hills and other defendants to dismiss the lawsuits, saying he would issue a more detailed ruling within 25 days.

The case, which had been set to go to trial next month, broke in 2003 and quickly generated intense controversy. Beverly Hills takes great pride in its high school; alumni include actors Nicolas Cage, Alicia Silverstone and Richard Dreyfuss.

Exhibits A, B, and C. Cancer pays better, but if they'd have gone with brain damage, it would've been a slam dunk.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I would not be so quick to form your opinion. First, what do you know about the facts regarding BHHS? Have you seen any of the documents showing the carcinogens that students have been potentially exposed to? Where do you get off calling Erin an “ambulance chaser”? This is a person who has taken on the role as a consumer advocate looking out for people who have been deceived. Would you send your children to a school where there is an oil platform that has 18 active oil wells below the athletic field and is adjacent to natural gas processing station? It is sad when ignorance forms an opinion. Why don’t we all wait until the truth comes out and all sides have spoken.

Tom Van Dyke said...

When Judge Mortimer issues his full opinion, please do write back, Chris. I suspect it has something to do with Daubert, which rejects junk science and has put the hurt on many plaintiff's firms.

As a matter of fact, I've spent a little time at BHHS. No cancer yet, altho we can't rule out brain damage.