Classic book about a legal case. Frightful descriptions of the mining disaster. Pops up regularly on pre-1L recommended reading lists, and deservedly so. ( )

When I finished this interesting read, my first reaction was "Huh?" The company offered the victims $10,000 each at the onset; instead they went through this long lawsuit over many years and ended up with only $3,000 more apiece? I'm not sure where the advantage was, beyond giving the victims the chance to tell their stories - or maybe it was that the company only offered the $10,000 to the people who had lost family members, while the lawsuit also included people who suffered from "survivor's guilt" and nightmares? What am I missing here? What did come across, loud and clear, is the tendancy of corporations to ignore human lives and safety in favor of their financial bottom lines. Nothing new there.

A great book for those who don't know what a mass tort is or what a trial lawyer does. Because I live in Texas, I often hear people complain about the evils of trial lawyers and of the evils of frivolous lawsuits. I think many of those people could stand to benefit from reading this book to see what a trial lawyer does, the kinds of causes they can fight and why advocates for victims of mass torts are such an important part of the American justice system. This book is a must read for anyone interested in law or politics, especially those looking to go to law school. ( )

In February, 1972, the dams on Buffalo Creek burst, flooding the valley below. Over 100 people were killed instantly, not to mention the 1000+ that were physically wounded and the thousands more that lost everything they owned, incurring emotional and psychological damage along the way.

The local coal mining company called it an “act of God,” blaming the collapse on heavy rains and, basically, bad luck. They offered some meager settlements for the survivors, most (if not all) of whom were connected in some way with the coal mines. These were poor people, mainly uneducated, and suddenly homeless. In previous such disasters, the people often agreed to the terms offered by the company, preferring an attempt to return to normalcy over a long, ugly fight with a powerful organization. This time, however, with the death toll so high and so little left to lose, they decided to fight.

Gerald Stern was the lead attorney in the lawsuit that the citizens of Buffalo Creek brought against the Pittston Company, and this book is his story of how they took on a corporate giant and, against all the odds, won. Filled with legal details and procedural notes, it still manages to be an engrossing account- a page-turner, even. The stories of the disaster, as told by the survivors, made my stomach clench. I complain about corporate America all the time, but the magnitude of the wanton disregard shown by this company is even to make anyone furious.

For anyone at all interested in our legal system, or corporate responsibility, or even the history of labor, this is a must-read book. Don’t be fazed by the legal aspect- I may have a stated interest in the field but I have very little background knowledge and I had no trouble understanding it. It can be very depressing, even knowing the outcome, though. Every few pages I would remember that this was all true, and that people had lived through this disaster a mere thirty years ago, and I would be stunned all over again. Very powerful. Although I will probably still have to work in corporate law for a while, in order to pay off my school loans, it’s books like this that made me want to enter the legal arena, and cases like this that make me want to practice the law. ( )