Divergent Expert Opinions in Environmental Cases

Environmental Science The most striking aspect about the environmental side of the Woburn case was how different all of the experts’ opinions and methodologies were. Each expert seemed to have their own calculations based on their own theories, some of which were more widely accepted than others. There were some similarities, but for the most part, their methodologies varied greatly. John Guswa based most of his work on a glacier and a complicated calculation that ended up being incorrect. Olin Braids based his findings on unprecedented work with the chemical reactions caused by soil bugs. No other expert had ever done the same research, so the fact that his finding were allowed as evidence is quite ground-breaking. Most research has to be

John Riley lied during his deposition and while on the stand. Many of the other employees for both companies lied initially until they were questioned more intensely. This shows how often people can commit crimes during a criminal trial. They happen all the time, yet most of them are not followed through with legal action, solely due to the fact that when the crime is exposed, the “victim” gets what they wanted all along: the truth. They use the crime against them and destroy their credibility, but they rarely actually arrest the criminal. By uncovering the truth, they no longer care about the fact that the witness committed a crime. Crime is almost guaranteed to flourish during criminal trials. The difference between crimes during and crimes before trials, is how they are used, and what their consequences

There is no bouncing back and forth, no waiting, and no real sense of nervousness that Schlictmann and his team would actually have to go back to trial against Grace. Those aspects are what really sets the tone of this part of the story, and the plot does not create the same atmosphere without them. The movie cuts to the chase and offers the squeal point stated by Gordon, which is different in the movie and in the book. While it shows the disagreement between Schlictmann and his partners about the amount, it does not truly capture the struggle they went through during the waiting process. Another aspect after the settlement that differed from the movie was Jan’s immediate departure from his practice with Crowley and Conway. In the book, Jan leaves amicably and goes his own way, but only after the appeal process, which he does alone in the movie. Conway and Crowley basically kick him out of their practice and send him on his way in the movie. They have no involvement in anything after the settlement, which is completely different that the book. The beginning of the movie was generally the same as the book. The plot followed the same patterns, but it did not show as many details as the book did. In order to understand the true experience of the Woburn Toxic Trial, one has to read the book. The case lasted 9 years and was full of challenging moments and setbacks that just cannot be done justice