The Greatest Legal Underdogs of All Time

The Greatest LEGAL UNDERDOGS Of All Time In the land of litigation, money and influence are equal to might, but sometimes the underdog manages to pull a fast one over the legal heavyweights. See six cases of little pups sticking it to the pooch when everything seemed lost and the odds were stacked against them. Master Tobacco Settlement VS Plaintiffs: Defendants: 46 states' Attorney Generals The Top 6 tobacco companies Status: Amount: The Attorney Generals filed suits under consumer protection and antitrust laws, seeking to recover smoking-related health care losses. Despite a lengthy process of appeals and shady deals, the plaintiffs won out. Settled (1998) $206 billion Paid out over 25 years tobbb Exxon Mobil Valdez Spill VS Plaintiffs: 2,000 cannery workers, fisherman, natives, land owners, and others Defendants: Exxon Mobil Status: The 1989 oil spill contaminated 1,300 miles of Alaskan coastline with 11 million gallons of oil. The class action lawsuit sought punitive damages and interest for the thousands of Amount: people affected. Though $5 billion was initially awarded, Exxon Mobil appealed, and ended up paying 1/10 that amount. $500 million Judgement (2001) AOL Time Warner VS Plaintiffs: Defendants: Shareholders AOL Time Warner Status: Amount: Between 1998 and 2002, AOL Time Warner misreported numerous advertising transactions, giving the appearance that the company was generating revenue. The money was, in fact, just being shifted around within the company. The misrepresentation valued the company by $1.7 billion more than its actual valuation. After the truth came out, stock Settled $2.5 billion (2005) prices took a dive. Breast Implants VS Plaintiffs: Defendants: Thousands of North American women Silicone implant manufacturers The lawsuit came after multiple claims from women suffering autoimmune diseases from worn out and leaking breast implants. Status: Amount: After multiple years of litigation, the defendants finally settled out of court. It was the largest class action lawsuit of Settled $3.4 billion (1994) its time. Nortel Networks VS Plaintiffs: Defendants: Shareholders Nortel Networks Unable to survive the internet bust, the Status: Amount: fiber-optic company fabricated accounting entries and falsified trends in equipment sales. Discovery of this fraud sent the stock spiraling downward, from a high of $124 to $0.24, costing shareholders enormous sums Settled $2.4 billion (2006) Hinkley Groundwater Contamination VS Plaintiffs: Defendants: Citizens of Hinkley, California Pacific Gas and Electric Status: Amounts: The defendant operated a compressor station in Hinkley as part of its natural gas transfer pipelines. A carcinogen called Hexavalent chromium was used to prevent rust in the machinery, eventually contaminating the town's groundwater and leading to an outbreak of illness among the residents. Erin Brockovich, a legal clerk with no formal training, investigated the illnesses and built a successful case Settled $333 million, $295 million $20 million against the defendant. (1996, 2006, 2008) Lago Agrio Oil Field VS Defendants: Plaintiffs: Техасо 30,000 Nueva Loja residents and its parent company, Chevron Status: Amount: Disregarding standard procedure, the oil company dumped toxic water into open pits rather than re-injecting it underground. This generated a 150% increase in local cancer rates, and has also resulted in soil contamination, deforestation, and cultural upheaval in the area. Judgement (2011) still facing appeals $18 billion Provided by: BestParalegalSchoolsOnline.com SOURCES: http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-18563_162-4769329.html http://www.cacurrent.com/storyDisplay.php?sid%3D3073 http://www.cnbc.com/id/35988343/Top_10_Class_Action_Lawsuits http://chevrontoxico.com/ %24 %24