Erin, the film makes clear early on, is no sentimental crusader. An early scene is designed to show what a short fuse Erin has when she explodes in a torrent of profanity in the courtroom. Steven Soderbergh tests Erin's limits of likability numerous times throughout the movie. Erin gains the trust of the community to mount legal action and strong-arms Ed to put together a case that would win the largest direct claim settlement in American history, even as her personal life is threatened by her devotion to the case. The case is especially odious because PG&E knew exactly what it was doing but lied about what kind of chromium it was using. It turns out that the community of Hinkley has been poisoned by hexavalent chromium, leaching into the drinking water from the Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) plant. It is in this capacity that she uncovers, entirely by accident, a paper trail leading to the town of Hinkley, CA, where an endless stream of residents have been diagnosed with various medical conditions including cancer, disintegrating spinal cords and brain damage. Still without work and needing to pay her bills, Erin, who has no demonstrable skills, but a passion, an uncommon quantity of common sense, and a defiant way of talking, finagles her way into a position as a file clerk under her former attorney. However, in court, Erin's surly manner and blasphemous vocabulary do not endear her to the jury, which finds itself in the defendant's favor, as Erin goes home empty-handed. She takes her case to a rumpled, cowed lawyer Ed Masry, who agrees to represent her on a contingency basis. The vehicle driven by Erin, an unemployed, twice-divorced mother of three, is broadsided by a speeding car at an intersection. Steven Soderbergh's Erin Brockovich opens with a car accident.
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