Erin Brockovich's former firm files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

In the “Truth is Stranger Than Fiction” category, there is no longer a happy ending for the law firm that successfully represented Erin Brockovich and made her and others multi-millionaires. The Westlake Village, CA., law firm of Masry &Vitotoe, has filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy, seeking relief from its creditors while it tries to reorganize.

After the death of founding partner Edward Masry in 2005, it was reported that many people had sued both the firm and Masry’s estate, seeking payment of large sums of money. The firm reportedly spent millions of dollars defending itself in the legal actions, eventually forcing it to seek relief under Chapter 11 of the Federal Bankruptcy laws.

In the 2000 movie, which featured Albert Finney as Masry, Brockovitch obtained a $333 Million settlement, and the film itself made over $250 Million dollars. It can be assumed that both Masry and his law firm made a substantial recovery from the plaintiffs’ counsel fees paid to them, as well as fees from the movie, but those amounts were apparently not enough to allow them to weather the storm that followed after Masry’s passing.


 by: Michael B. Katz, Esq.