Erin Brockovich's law firm filed a wrongful death and negligence lawsuit against more than 25 oil and gas companies, alleging that toxic fumes from an oil well on the Beverly Hills High School campus caused 21 former students to develop cancer, including three who died of the disease.
The Superior Court action states that the plaintiffs attended the school between 1977 and 1996.
"This case is about the inexcusable and knowing failure of the oil and gas industry and municipal and administrative bodies to protect schoolchildren, the most vulnerable in society, and the places that should be the most safe — schools," Monday's action states.
In April, Brockovich and attorney Ed Masry of Masry & Vititoe filed 25 claims against the Beverly Hills Unified School District and the city of Beverly Hills. They have six months to respond, after which Brockovich and Masry can sue them in California court.
Brockovich, an investigator with Masry's law firm, rose to prominence when she put together a landmark 1996 water pollution case that won the residents of the small desert town of Hinkley a $333 million settlement from Pacific Gas and Electric Co. The story of that case was told in the movie "Erin Brockovich," which earned Julia Roberts a best actress Oscar. Albert Finney played Masry.
Defendants named in the current action include Chevron-Texaco Corp., Frontier Oil Corp. and the rig's operator, Venoco Inc. Calls placed to them after business hours weren't returned.
Both Venoco and school officials have said previously that state inspectors have tested the air around the rig repeatedly and found no problems.
The rig, shielded by panels covered with brightly painted flowers, is a familiar sight in Beverly Hills. It produces about 450 barrels of oil and 400,000 cubic feet of natural gas a day.