The movie A Civil Action is based on a true story and begins with Jan Schlickmann, played by John Travolta, working as a successful personal injury lawyer in Boston. He is approached by several families from Woburn, a small town outside Boston, who claim that their children have gotten sick due to contaminated drinking water. Initially, Schlickmann dismisses the case as a loser, but his curiosity is piqued when he realizes the case could be worth millions.
Schlickmann takes on the case and files a lawsuit against two big corporations, W.R. Grace and Beatrice Foods, who he believes are responsible for dumping toxic waste into the groundwater that Woburn residents rely on for drinking water. Schlickmann's opposing lawyers try to settle the case, and even his own law firm demands that he accept the settlement since his own clients are beginning to suffer financially due to the extensive costs of the lawsuit. However, Schlickmann refuses to give up and continues to seek a resolution for the families' suffering, even as the costs continue to mount.
Throughout the movie, Schlickmann's obsession with the case leads him to lose everything - his career, his clients, and even his personal life. He is ultimately disbarred due to his unorthodox approach to the case, but continues to pursue it on his own, out of sheer determination.
The case goes to trial, and the verdict is initially in favor of Schlickmann's clients, but is later overturned on a technicality. In the end, Schlickmann is left with nothing but the satisfaction of knowing that he fought for what was right, even though the outcome was not what he had hoped.
The movie presents the question of whether justice is achievable in a legal system that is focused on profit rather than righteousness, and leaves the viewer to decide.
