A Civil Action

Each of these groups hold at least a small amount of responsibility. Each group did some things wrong, that while not causing the deaths, were actions which if avoided could have helped prevent some of them. I think that most of the moral responsibility of these deaths lies with John Riley, the owner of the tannery, and with W. R. Grace, the food processing company, which was found to have dumped cleaning chemicals on their grounds. Both of these firms knowingly dumped dangerous chemicals in an improper manner. Each failed to show any care for the community in which they did business. In out textbook in the environmental rights section, William Blackstone wrote, that “a livable environment is not merely something that we would all like to have, but something that others have a duty to provide”. I believe that Riley and Grace both knowingly dumped chemicals on their land, which found its way into the local water supply. The employees of these firms also hold responsibility when they carried out the dumping of the chemicals without expressing any concern. Beatrice Foods purchased the Riley Tannery near the end of the timeframe that the water wells in question were in use. The jury found that Beatrice did not hold liability for these deaths based on this, but they should have known what had been done and taken steps to deal with it after purchasing the tannery. Even though they did not actually do the dumping of the chemicals, they do retain partial responsibility for these deaths simply by ignoring the problem. The city of Woburn and the parents, also hold responsibility. The city should have done testing of the wells during the time they were in use. Testing these wells would have shown care for the community, and would have assured clean water and noticed the pollution in advance. If the parents noticed the bad smell and cloudiness of the water, they could have stopped using it for drinking and cooking until they were sure of its safety. The ultimate care for the children was in the hands of the parents and they failed to protect, as it was their duty. The scene where one of the employees, who later came forward to tell of his employers dumping, watched his wife pouring glasses of water from the tap was upsetting to me. I wanted to jump through the screen and scream NO, don’t do that! It showed me that inside he knew that the water was unsafe, yet he did not do anything to prevent them from drinking it. That shows to me how the parents failed to assure the safety of those around them.

Judge Skinner was not mentioned as a responsible party for the deaths of these children. However, I do believe that his actions in the courtroom created an atmosphere, which prevented proper distribution of justice to the families. Some of his decisions caused limited justice to be given out, and the firms responsible got off easy. The legal system seemed in favor toward the corporations. The actions of the judge indicated he was doing