What is Erin Brockovich's Net Worth?
Erin Brockovich is a celebrated American legal clerk and environmental activist with an estimated net worth of $10 million. She gained widespread recognition for spearheading a landmark case against the Pacific Gas & Electric Company in California. The lawsuit accused PG&E of contaminating the drinking water in Hinkley, California, with hexavalent chromium. The case was settled in 1996 for an unprecedented $333 million, marking the largest settlement ever paid in a direct-action lawsuit in U.S. history. This monumental story was later adapted into the 2000 film "Erin Brockovich," where Erin was famously portrayed by Julia Roberts.
Early Life
Erin Brockovich was born on June 22, 1960, in Lawrence, Kansas. She is the daughter of Betty Jo, a journalist, and Frank Pattee, an industrial engineer. She has two brothers and one sister. She graduated from Lawrence High School and then attended Kansas State University. Later, she transferred to Wade College in Dallas, Texas, where she earned an Associate in Applied Arts Degree.
Career
Brockovich initially worked at K-Mart and participated in a beauty pageant before joining Edward L. Masry's law office in California as a legal clerk. In 1993, she started investigating a cluster of unexplained illnesses among residents in Hinkley, California. The town had a compressor station built in 1952, where PG&E used hexavalent chromium to battle corrosion, unknowingly contaminating local groundwater. Brockovich played a pivotal role in organizing the case against PG&E, culminating in the historic $333 million settlement in 1996.
This case was the basis for the 2000 feature film "Erin Brockovich," where Julia Roberts' portrayal won her the Best Actress Academy Award. Brockovich also penned her first book in 2001, titled "Take It From Me: Life's a Struggle But You Can Win."
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Following the landmark case, Brockovich continued working on numerous anti-pollution lawsuits alongside Edward Masry. Notably, another case against PG&E related to a different compressor station in California was settled for $335 million in 2006. She has also tackled environmental issues in Missouri, Texas, and New York.
Though Brockovich never attended law school, her contributions to the legal field have been acknowledged with multiple honorary degrees. She was conferred an Honorary Doctor of Laws by Lewis & Clark Law School in 2005 and an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by Loyola Marymount University. Additionally, she earned an Honorary Master of Arts from Jones International University in Colorado.
In 2012, she was prominently featured in the documentary "Last Call at the Oasis," which focused on water pollution, scarcity, and policy in the United States. In August 2020, she released her second book, "Superman's Not Coming." Furthermore, the 2021 television series "Rebel" is loosely based on her life.
Personal Life
Erin Brockovich has been married three times. She had two children, Matthew, and Katie, with her first husband, Shawn Brown. Her second marriage to Steven Brockovich resulted in her third child, Elizabeth. She later married actor and musician Eric L. Ellis. Currently, Brockovich resides in Agoura Hills, California, in the home she purchased after the PG&E case settlement.
