Jan Schlichtmann, the attorney portrayed by John Travolta in the film A Civil
Action, will speak on “Environmental Justice For All?” on Tuesday, Feb. 9,
at 7:30 p.m. in the Nott Memorial.
In 1981, three children whose drinking water came from a contaminated well in Woburn,
Mass., died of leukemia. Five years later, eight Woburn families, represented by Jan
Schlichtmann, charged industrial giants W.R. Grace and Beatrice Foods with the
contamination of Woburn's groundwater.
Based on the best-selling book of the same title, the film highlights
Schlichtmann's all-or-nothing pursuit of justice for the families of Woburn.
The talk is sponsored by the College's Minerva Committee and Environmental Studies
Department.