You’ve probably heard about class action lawsuits from movies like Erin Brockovich or A Civil Action. These are cases where a group of people with the same complaint joins forces to take on a big entity, like a company or even the government.
It does sound dramatic, but it’s also a way people fight for justice when they’ve been wronged on a massive scale. Today, we’re diving into four popular class action lawsuits in the United States that shaped history and made headlines.
Informative websites like Lawsuit Legal News do an impressive job of compiling all the latest data related to class action lawsuits and mass torts. The site has dedicated pages for each class action lawsuit and mass tort, making it easy for visitors to check in periodically for updates.
Anderson v. Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
If you’ve seen the movie Erin Brockovich, you already know this one. It’s the real-life story of a tiny California town called Hinkley that faced a massive environmental disaster. Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) was accused of contaminating the town’s water supply with chromium-6, a chemical that is linked to cancer.
Residents started noticing that they were getting sick, and with the help of Erin Brockovich and her legal team, they filed a lawsuit against PG&E. The case ended in a $333 million settlement, which was the biggest ever at the time.
In addition to the monetary settlement, PG&E was forced to clean up its act (literally) and stop using harmful chemicals.
Roe v. Wade
This case might be one of the most talked-about lawsuits in US history. It’s all about the right to make personal choices about your own body. Back in the early 1970s, a woman named Norma McCorvey (called “Roe” in the case) wanted to end her pregnancy but couldn’t because abortion was illegal in Texas unless the mother’s life was in danger.
The case made it all the way to the Supreme Court. In 1973, the court ruled that women have the right to choose abortion during the first three months of pregnancy, based on their right to privacy.
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
Imagine living in a world where kids couldn’t go to the same school because of their skin color. That was the reality in the United States until 1954. Schools were “separate but equal,” but let’s be honest, separate wasn’t equal. Black schools often had fewer resources, less funding, and poorer facilities.
Oliver Brown, a parent in Kansas, wanted his daughter to go to a better school. But she wasn’t allowed because it was for white students only. That was the starting point of this lawsuit. The suit combined five cases from four states, all challenging school segregation.
The Supreme Court’s decision was unanimous. They ruled that segregated schools violated the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause. This case became a cornerstone of the civil rights movement.
The Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement
Back in the 1990s, smoking was everywhere. Cigarette ads were on TV, billboards, and even targeted kids. But behind the scenes, states were racking up huge healthcare costs from treating smoking-related illnesses.
The Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement involved 46 states and five major tobacco companies. The settlement required the companies to pay $206 billion over 25 years to cover healthcare costs and fund anti-smoking campaigns.
The agreement also forced tobacco companies to change their marketing tactics, especially those targeting kids. They also had to release internal documents, exposing decades of deceit about the dangers of smoking.