Editing Erin Brockovich (section)

==Other litigation==
Working with [[Edward L. Masry]], a lawyer based in [[Thousand Oaks, California]], Brockovich went on to participate in other anti-pollution lawsuits. One suit accused the [[Whitman Corporation]] of chromium contamination in [[Willits, California]]. Another, which listed 1,200 [[plaintiff]]s, alleged contamination near PG&E's Kettleman Hills compressor station in [[Kings County, California]], along the same pipeline as the Hinkley site. The Kettleman suit was settled for $335 million in 2006.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/7834421/BP-Oil-Disaster-Major-compensation-payouts-from-other-global-corporations.html|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/7834421/BP-Oil-Disaster-Major-compensation-payouts-from-other-global-corporations.html |archive-date=2022-01-12 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live| title= BP Oil Disaster: Major compensation payouts from other global corporations| work=Telegraph.co.uk | first= Laura| last= Roberts| date= June 17, 2010| access-date= November 24, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In 2003, after experiencing problems with mold contamination in her own home in the [[Conejo Valley]], Brockovich received settlements of $430,000 from two parties, and an undisclosed amount from a third party, to settle her lawsuit alleging [[toxic mold]] in her [[Agoura Hills, California]], home.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/ACTIVIST+ERIN+BROCKOVICH+SETTLES+HOME+MOLD+SUIT.-a0107814985|title=Activist Erin Brockovich Settles Home Mold Suit |access-date=October 27, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027224346/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/ACTIVIST+ERIN+BROCKOVICH+SETTLES+HOME+MOLD+SUIT.-a0107814985 |archive-date=October 27, 2014| url-status= dead}}</ref> Brockovich then became a prominent activist and educator in the area as well.

[[File:Erin brockovich 2016.jpg|thumb|Brockovich, speaking at the Arizona Ultimate Women's Expo in Phoenix, Arizona, October 2016]]

Brockovich and Masry filed suit against the [[Beverly Hills Unified School District]] in 2003, in which the district was accused of harming the health and safety of its students by allowing a contractor to operate a [[Beverly Hills Oil Field|cluster of oil wells]] on campus.<ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20140105,00.html |title= Beverly Hills Mystery| work= [[People (magazine)|People]]| date= May 19, 2003| access-date= May 30, 2009}}</ref> Brockovich and Masry alleged that 300 cancer cases were linked to the oil wells. Subsequent testing and epidemiological investigation failed to corroborate a substantial link, and [[Los Angeles County]] Superior Court Judge Wendell Mortimer granted summary judgment against the plaintiffs.<ref>{{cite journal| url= http://www.cjac.org/newsandresearch/balance/bal3-07.pdf |title= More Brockovich Claims Tossed| journal= Balance | via= CJAC.org| publisher= [[Civil Justice Association of California]]| date= Third Quarter 2007| page= 2| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111001025938/http://www.cjac.org/newsandresearch/balance/bal3-07.pdf |archive-date=October 1, 2011}}</ref> In May 2007, the school district announced that it was to be paid $450,000 as reimbursement for legal expenses.<ref>{{cite press release| url= http://cjac.org/what/research/releases/justice_served_as_city_of_beverly_hills_and_beverly_hills_unified_school_district_receive_reimbursement_in_oil_well_litigation/index.html | title= Justice Served as City of Beverly Hills and Beverly Hills Unified School District Receive Reimbursement in Oil Well Litigation| website= CJAC.org| publisher= Civil Justice Association of California| date= October 9, 2007| url-status= dead| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150712150139/https://www.cjac.org/what/research/releases/justice_served_as_city_of_beverly_hills_and_beverly_hills_unified_school_district_receive_reimbursement_in_oil_well_litigation/index.html| archive-date= July 12, 2015 | access-date= November 24, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20050204133828/http://www.cjr.org/issues/2004/2/umansky-muck.asp| url= http://www.cjr.org/issues/2004/2/umansky-muck.asp| url-status= dead| archive-date= February 4, 2005| first= Eric| last= Umansky| title= Muckraker 90210: A Most Unlikely Reporter Nails Erin Brockovich | work= [[Columbia Journalism Review]]| via= CJR.org| date= 2005| publisher= [[Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism]]| access-date= November 24, 2020}}</ref>

Brockovich assisted in the filing of a lawsuit against Prime Tanning Corp. of [[St. Joseph, Missouri]], in April 2009. The lawsuit claims that waste sludge from the production of leather, containing high levels of hexavalent chromium, was distributed to farmers in northwest Missouri to use as fertilizer on their fields. It is believed to be a potential cause of an abnormally high number of brain tumors around the town of [[Cameron, Missouri]]. Prior to the lawsuit, the site was investigated by the EPA and at the time, the agency found "no detections of total chromium", and added, "we would like to get any specific information from this law firm as soon as we can so we can evaluate it, and we intend to ask for that directly." The EPA, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Missouri Department of Health and a state epidemiologist had been investigating what residents believed were a high number of brain tumors in the area — more than 70 since 1996. The epidemiologist had stated the numbers did not seem abnormally high.<ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/1157579.html |title= Lawsuit alleges fertilizer was contaminated around Cameron, Mo.| website= kansascity.com| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090428171343/http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/1157579.html |archive-date=April 28, 2009}}</ref>

In June 2009, Brockovich began investigating a case of contaminated water in [[Midland, Texas]].<ref name="cbs">{{cite news| url= https://www.cbsnews.com/news/brockovich-midland-texas-water-sullied/ |title= Brockovich: Midland, Texas Water Sullied| work= [[CBS News]]| date= June 10, 2009| access-date= June 10, 2009}}</ref> "Significant amounts" of hexavalent chromium were found in the water of more than 40 homes in the area, some of which have now been fitted with state-monitored filters on their water supply.<ref name="cbs"/> Brockovich said: "The only difference between here and Hinkley is that I saw higher levels here than I saw in Hinkley."<ref name= "cbs" />

In 2012, Brockovich became involved in the mysterious case of 14 students from [[LeRoy, New York]], who began reporting perplexing medical symptoms, including tics and speech difficulties.<ref name="CNN-LeRoy-2012">{{cite news|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/03/us/new-york-students-illness/|title=N.Y. town still baffled by teens' mysterious tics |publisher= CNN |date=February 4, 2012| first1= Steve |last1= Almasy |first2= Jim |last2= Spellman|access-date=2012-02-04}}</ref>  Brockovich believed [[environmental pollution]] from the [[1970 Lehigh Valley Railroad derailment]] was the cause and conducted testing in the area. Brockovich was supposed to return to LeRoy to present her findings, but never did; in the meantime, the students' doctors determined the cause was [[mass psychogenic illness]], and that the media exposure was exacerbating the symptoms.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/201715/37/What-Really-Happened-To-The-Girls-In-Le-Roy|title=What Really Happened To The Girls In Le Roy?|date= February 21, 2013 |access-date= 2013-06-25| url-status= dead| archive-url= https://archive.today/20130628022636/http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/201715/37/What-Really-Happened-To-The-Girls-In-Le-Roy| website= [[WGRZ]].com |archive-date=June 28, 2013}}</ref> No environmental causes were found after repeat testing, and the students improved once the media attention died down.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-students-twitcnew-york-h-idUSBRE85M0DF20120623 |publisher=Reuters |title=School's end clears up New York students' mystery twitching |date=June 23, 2012}}</ref>

In early 2016, Brockovich became involved in potential litigation against [[Southern California Gas]] for the [[Aliso Canyon gas leak]], a large [[methane leak]] from its underground storage facility near the community of [[Porter Ranch]], north of Los Angeles.

[[File:Erin Brockovich 2019.jpg|thumb|Brockovich in 2019]]
In early 2023, within hours of the [[East Palestine derailment|Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio]], Brockovich started getting calls for assistance from the community about the toxic chemical fires.<ref name="youtube.com">{{Citation |title=Erin Brockovich visits East Palestine, Ohio after train crash {{!}} LiveNOW from FOX | date=23 February 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syys_Sa5gz8 |language=en |access-date=2023-02-25}}</ref> She has been interviewed on various news outlets, from independent media<ref>{{Citation |title=Erin Brockovich FURIOUS Over East Palestine Ohio Train Explosion, Government Response | date=14 February 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdvXilQMKfQ |language=en |access-date=2023-02-25}}</ref> to national networks.<ref>{{Citation |title=Erin Brockovich: Ohio 'community is left to fend for themselves' on toxic train risk | date=15 February 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EU1NlSjv9U |language=en |access-date=2023-02-25}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Erin Brockovich: What East Palestine residents 'can't handle' is a lie | date=21 February 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzTykYvzocI |language=en |access-date=2023-02-25}}</ref> A few weeks later, Brockovich traveled to [[East Palestine, Ohio|East Palestine]], where she was interviewed by local media, and appeared at one of several high-profile town hall meetings on Friday night, Feb. 24th.<ref>{{Citation |title=Watch live: Erin Brockovich holds East Palestine town hall after train derailment | date=24 February 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFU5Jy4BJsM |language=en |access-date=2023-02-25}}</ref> At the meeting, Brockovich and an attorney highlighted decades of toxic chemical train derailments.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nicks |first=Michelle |date=2023-02-25 |title=Erin Brockovich holds town hall in East Palestine at the invitation of the residents |url=https://www.cleveland19.com/2023/02/25/erin-brockovich-holds-town-hall-east-palestine-invitation-residents/ |access-date=2023-02-25 |website=cleveland19.com |language=en |quote=Brockovich along with an Ohio law firm and Attorney Michael Watts presented approximately 160 slides… on the history of train derailments… over the last few decades, showing the increase in the number of trains that have jumped the tracks with toxic chemicals.}}</ref> Among Brockovich's many concerns is the potential groundwater contamination after chemicals were, as she describes it, dumped in a big hole in the ground and burned off.<ref name="youtube.com"/><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-07 |title=Train wreck chemicals burned |url=https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2023/feb/07/train-wreck-chemicals-burned/ |access-date=2023-02-25 |website=Arkansas Online |language=en}}</ref> A recurring theme of her appearances is that the nation has, for decades, in the name of profits over people, failed to undertake infrastructure improvements, enact tighter regulations, and adequately protect the health, safety and welfare of communities from long-term bodily harm and environmental damage.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} Brockovich continues to cite the Hinkley case and [[Flint water crisis]], as well as the [[Lac-Mégantic rail disaster|2013 Lac-Megantic, Canada oil train catastrophe]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Haidet |first=Ryan |date=February 24, 2023 |title=Environmental activist Erin Brockovich holds town hall in East Palestine 3 weeks after train derailment |url=https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/special-reports/train-derailment/ohio-train-derailment-east-palestine-town-hall-erin-brockovich/95-c1c76f98-e1bf-41f0-8552-7b69bff5206b |access-date=2023-02-25 |website=wkyc.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Activist Erin Brockovich speaks on train derailment in East Palestine {{!}} Full Interview | date=24 February 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D38Z3l-WlA8 |language=en |access-date=2023-02-25}}</ref>