Role: Plaintiffs Family & Plaintiffs Attorney Anne Anderson was the lead plaintiff in the Anderson v. W.R.

Grace case, filed in 1982. Anne and Charles Anderson moved to East Woburn, Massachusetts in 1965. It seemed at the time, to be an ideal community to raise a family-their house located on a tree-lined street near to the center of the town, was a quiet neighborhood. However, their idyllic life suddenly changed when Jimmy the youngest of Anne's three children was diagnosed with a rare form of childhood leukemia; "Jimmy was sick for 9 years. So sick that he spent most of his life at home or in the hospital. He taught me courage and gave me the strength to fight on his behalf." Anne thought the water in Woburn might be the cause of her son's illness. Health officials, community residents and her own family believed Anne and her idea were "nutty as a fruitcake". Ultimately, Anne's claims were vindicated and became the basis of litigation. She played a key role in organizing other families to join in litigation. A single mom when Jimmy died, she continued in fighting for environmental justice. Presently, she works for the City of Woburn as a librarian and still lives in the same house in East Woburn. Robbie Robinson: Robbie was 4 years old when his leukemia was diagnosed. He died in 1981 when he was nine years old. When Donna Robbins was asked how did Robbie handle his illness? Donna responded: "Robby was an amazing little kid. I think that all kids that are diagnosed with cancer have something very special. You know, to start out he was very bright, very serious, but had a lot of fun. You know, when he got sick, it got to a point where he would know the chemotherapy inside and out, the side effects, the whole bit. Regardless what people think, kids protect their parents, and I found that out in the end and when I look back at everything. But, he didn't mind going into the hospital. He loved all the doctors and nurses in there. He thought they were great. He told me in the end, 'Mom we'll meet in the left-hand corner of heaven.'" Robbie died with his mother at his bedside. He is buried in the cemetery in Woburn. Mary and Richard Toomey were plaintiffs in the Anderson case. They moved to Woburn in 1963, expecting happiness in their new home. Of their five children, two died. A son James was killed in front of the house in a car accident. Patrick, diagnosed in 1979 with leukemia, died in 1981 when he was ten years old. Richard Toomey developed malignant melanoma and died a few years later. When Mary Toomey was asked how she coped with such tragedies she responded: "God was right

there with me, just holding me up. That's what got me through it." Mary Toomey continues to live in East Woburn. Jan Schlichtmann was the lead plaintiffs' attorney. When Jan Schlichtmann met with the Woburn families in 1981, he was on the road to becoming a successful personal injury attorney. The Anderson case appealed to him to do justice, and garner fame and fortune. He moved from riches to rags, then back to riches. Embroiled in continuing lawsuits pursued by creditors from the Anderson case he is still reminded of alleged amounts outstanding from the Anderson case. Schlichtmann now advises lawyers about environmental cases, and dabbles in film endeavors. Married with two children, he lives in a waterfront house in Massachusetts. Playing Schlichtmann in the Civil Action film required a larger than life performance by John Travolta to be - "a man of extremes" as Jonathan Harr evoked in his written portrayal of Schlichtmann.

Jerome Facher headed the trial team representing Beatrice Foods in the Anderson litigation. Jerome Facher's father was a shoe salesman. "That's how I got through college, selling shoes. There's nothing I don't know about shoes. I'm an old shoe dog. In those days, talk about cancer agents, we had xray machines, an x-ray machine to measure a person's feet." An experienced litigator with the distinguished 400-person law firm of Hale and Dorr, Facher likes to be called Jerry by friends. He is a 1951 graduate of Harvard Law School was also on the Law review. Facher served on many bar committees, among them: special counsel to the Massachusetts Judicial Conduct committee and Chaired the Superior Court Advisory committee on Civil Procedure. Facher taught a trial practice course at Harvard Law School. He is a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers. But his main claim to fame is that Robert Duvall played him in the Hollywood Civil Action movie and "is a better Facher than I am!" according to the real Facher. Jerry Facher continues to practice law on a "more limited schedule" devoting weeks to travel with his longstanding female companion.

Michael Keating headed the trial team on behalf of W.R. Grace. Keating, a senior partner in the law firm of Foley, Hoag and Eliot is the firm's most experienced trial lawyer. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Williams College and Harvard Law School in 1965l. Specializing in defense of white-collar crimes and other corporate and individual litigants, he appears in state and federal trial and appellate courts. He is still actively practicing law with the same Boston law firm.