Award-Winning Class Action Lawsuit Dramas That Mirrored Real-Life
The silence is so deafening you can hear your heartbeat. As the jury enters the room, someone clears their throat. It’s one of the defendants shuffling from one foot to the other.
A jury member stands to deliver the verdict and says, “We, the jury, find the defendants…”
You’ve watched this movie so many times. The final courtroom scene always gets to you. Legal dramas drum up all kinds of emotions. They make us happy. They make us sad. There’s no middle ground.
That’s Hollywood for you. If you’re not entertained, take a ticket and stand in line.
Real Lives At Stake
As legal enthusiasts watch the latest happenings surrounding the AFFF firefighting foam lawsuits, some cases are playing out like a Hollywood movie.
Drama, intrigue and the fight against the Big Man make it only that much more interesting.
Regrettably, real people have had their lives irretrievably changed. From firefighters to military personnel, the AFFF lawsuits only further highlight the negligence of big corporations.
The AFFF firefighting foam lawsuit has been moving through the court system since 2022. A 2023 study further supported the plaintiffs’ claims that forever chemicals PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) were linked to an increased likelihood of thyroid cancer. The toxic chemicals were found in aqueous film-forming foam, also known as AFFF foam.
The study, published in eBioMedicine, found that people exposed to toxic firefighting foam products containing PFAS had a 56% increased risk of thyroid cancer. This was due to PFAS contamination.
Not just thyroid cancer. Firefighters who lodged their personal injury lawsuits due to PFAS contamination were diagnosed with other forms of cancer, including pancreatic cancer and kidney cancer.
TruLaw says the legal basis for the AFFF lawsuits pivots primarily on allegations of negligence and product liability on the manufacturer’s part.
The latest development is that the number of lawsuit filings has increased to more than 9,000. This could be the biggest class action lawsuit in U.S. history. If Hollywood is anything to go by, the stakes are high.
We’ve curated a list of award-winning class action lawsuit dramas that closely mirrored real life below.
The Lincon Lawyer
Based on the movie adaption of the same name, The Lincon Lawyer was arguably one of the best legal TV shows released by Netflix.
Originally written as a series of novels by Michael Connelly, the gritty show follows Mickey Haller, played by Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, who runs his law firm from his Lincoln Towncar.
The Lincon Lawyer delves into the criminal underworld and balances the sordid twists and turns with occasional anecdotes. In one episode, Izzy threatens a lawsuit against a building manager for discrimination.
Season 3 recently got the green light from Netflix following a positive response from viewers. While the series is based on a fictionalized character, fans said the writers had a thorough knowledge of the Federal Rules of Evidence.
The show was nominated for Best Actor – Drama (television) at the 2022 Imagen Foundation Awards. It also scored a nod at the 2024 Tell-Tale TV Awards for Favorite Streaming Drama Series.
American Crime Story
From the creator of the chilling horror series American Horror Story, American Crime Story is an anthology of real-life crime stories that gripped the U.S. public.
Ryan Murphy deviated from his typical satirical storylines and showed us real-life high-profile cases through the Hollywood lens. Sticking to his camp storytelling persona, Murphy recreated the most outrageous aspects of the trials.
The anthology centered around the Bill Clinton impeachment, the assassination of Gianni Versace, and the O.J. Simpson murder trial, which delved into the $33 million civil wrongful death lawsuit against him.
Despite receiving mixed reviews, the show did bag the 2022 ASCAP Award for Top Television Series.
The People vs. Larry Flynt
Now, this case made for a scintillating courtroom drama. Hustler publisher Larry Flynt’s Supreme Court case set the precedent for many to follow.
The trial was immortalized in the 1995 movie The People vs. Larry Flynt. He originally argued that it was his First Amendment right “to be as tasteless as he wanted.”
A judge ultimately ruled that the porn magazine’s parody ad belittling televangelist Jerry Falwell was protected speech.
In a 2023 interview with MovieMaker, biopic writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski admitted they wrote the story without thinking about potential lawsuits. In a twist of irony, they acted upon the same right to parody a public figure.
The movie went on to win several awards, including two Golden Globes for Best Screenplay and Best Director.
Fictional class action lawsuits often end on a positive note. As far as the AFFF class action MDL goes, only time will tell if the thousands of plaintiffs will get their Hollywood ending.
