Watercure USA - March/April 2022

Watercure USA’s Hall of Fame How Erin Brockovich Became a Legend

ONE-PAN CHICKEN TACOS Inspired by TasteOfHome.com

This recipe from TikTok user @violet.cooks almost broke the internet — and you’ll see why! The fried tortillas make it out-of-this-world delicious.

The fight for clean water starts at home – and nobody realized that sooner, and subsequently fought harder for, than Erin Brockovich. Her contributions to water advocacy make all of us a little prouder of what we do. We thought we’d share her real, gutsy story (which doesn’t stray far from the Academy Award-winning film, “Erin Brockovich”).

Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken

• 2 tbsp chipotle powder • Canola oil (for frying) • Corn tortillas • Grated cheddar cheese • Pico de gallo and guacamole salsa (to taste)

breasts, sliced into 1-inch pieces

• 2 tbsp garlic powder • 2 tbsp cumin

Living in Hinkley, California, Erin Brockovich was a beauty pageant winner with two kids. but single, and desperate for money. She’d worked as a secretary at her second ex-husband’s brokerage firm, but it wasn’t until she was seriously injured that she’d meet Ed Masry, a lawyer who changed the course of both their lives.

Directions 1. In a mixing bowl, combine the chicken pieces, garlic powder, cumin, and chipotle powder. Mix until the chicken is coated. 2. In a frying pan, heat the oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken mixture. Cook on medium heat for 5–8 minutes. 3. Remove the chicken from the pan, and add the corn tortillas (avoid overlapping) so they soak up the juices. Flip the tortillas and repeat. Then, add chicken and grated cheddar to each tortilla and fold it over the filling — in the pan. 4. Cook the tacos for 3 minutes per side until the tortillas are crispy and the cheese is melted. 5. Top with pico and guacamole salsa, and serve!

Masry’s firm, Masry & Vititoe, represented Erin in her personal injury claim, and they won a small settlement. However, Erin still needed a job — and with a little legal experience and a little persistence, she was hired onto their firm as a file clerk.

While organizing papers for a pro bono real estate case, Erin found medical records that exploded into the largest direct-action lawsuit in U.S. history.

As it turned out, for over 30 years, Pacific Gas & Electric had been poisoning Hinkley’s water. They knew they were leaking a harmful chemical known as chromium-6 into the groundwater and also knew that it was affecting the health of the town’s population. Yet, nothing was being done about it. What would it take to convince a nearly $100 billion net worth company to change course? It was hard, but Erin didn’t just expose her town’s water poisoning. She did it with an incredible people-centric and vibrant attitude that continues to inspire legal practices today. After years of work, the mass tort lawsuit settled in 1996 for over $333 million in damages to more than 600 Hinkley residents. Erin’s unique story and accomplished incredible legal research became legendary in the industry — and it even attracted the attention of Steven Soderbergh (“Ocean’s Eleven,” and “Magic Mike”). The film won over both mainstream and critical audiences. Erin Brockovich, thank you for fighting as hard as you did for your fellow Americans. It took a lot of guts, but you finally turned water into a household topic.

The Good News

“He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.” Daniel 2:21

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