Ethical Questions in the Film Erin BrockovichThere are many ethical questions in the film Erin Brockovich. This film tells the story of a mother of three who discovers a case of water poisoning by the Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) in Southern California. Once the company was proven to have knowingly released hexavalent chromium into groundwater, the utility company was found liable for a $330 million verdict. Erin has the responsibility of nurturing and educating her three children and is generally wary of people. She begins by forcing her lawyer Ed Masry to give her a secretarial job after he fails to get her a settlement following a car accident. She makes him feel guilty for the way she currently lives and places the blame on him. She thinks that would settle things. However, she doesn't really fit in with the company. Other female colleagues do not approve of her dress and the cleavage she shows. The women in the office don't include Erin on her lunch outings and even helping her when she asks for help. One day, when she asked for help, the women refused to help her, saying that if she didn't know the trade yet, that was her problem. The women treat her badly, but I think they are surprised at the person she really is and the hard worker she is. Erin fights for respect and acceptance in a world that tends to judge solely on appearance. Ed accuses her of extortion when she tries to get raises from him every time he approves her to do other work in the PG&E case. She is asking for a salary increase and one-time benefits. Ed ends up giving it to her perhaps because he knows she's onto something and it could end up being very important. However, sh...... middle of paper ...... in which they lived. Instead, they chose to protect their company by creating a plan to buy these homes and hiding any evidence that might exist. The company's lawyers chose to sacrifice neighbors' lives to protect the company's assets, even though PG&E is a $28 billion company. It was thought that it would be less costly for PG&E to illegally dispose of the chemicals because company officials were more concerned. with profits rather than with people's lives. The withholding of this critical information had tragic consequences for those involved. PG&E must have realized it was guilty because it settled the case for $330 million in private arbitration. Overall, this probably ended up costing PG&E more money than if they had properly covered the water pools and taken care of things properly from the start..