Edward Louis Masry (July 29, 1932 – December 5, 2005) was an American lawyer, a partner in the law firm of Masry & Vititoe and also a mayor and city councilman for the City of Thousand Oaks, California. With the help of his legal assistant Erin Brockovich, Masry built a case against the Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) of California in 1993. Their successful lawsuit was the subject of the Academy Awards, Oscar-winning film, ''Erin Brockovich (film), Erin Brockovich'' (2000), starring Julia Roberts as Brockovich and Albert Finney as Masry.

Early life

Masry was born in Paterson, New Jersey, to Syrian immigrant parents who ran a silk apparel business. He moved west to Southern California with his family when he was age eight, settling first in Venice, California, Venice and later in Van Nuys, California, Van Nuys.

Education

As an undergraduate, Masry attended Los Angeles Valley College, L.A. Valley Junior College, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of California Los Angeles, and University of Southern California, and served with the United States Army, U.S. Army in France from 1952 to 1954 during the Korean War era, attaining the rank of corporal.In Memory of Edward L. Masry - Hon. Brad Sherman of California in the House of Representatives; Tuesday, February 14, 2006
United States Government Publishing Office. Retrieved September 6, 2021. Although he never received a Bachelor's degree, Loyola Law School in Los Angeles accepted him on an exemption due to high placement test scores, and he graduated with a Juris Doctor degree in 1960. Thereafter, he was admitted to the State Bar of California, and set up private practice in 1961.

Career

Masry's law firm was instrumental in bringing about the multi-plaintiff direct action suit against Pacific Gas & Electric Company, alleging contamination of drinking water with hexavalent chromium in the Southern California town of Hinkley, California, Hinkley. The case was settled in 1996 for $333 million, the largest settlement ever paid in a direct-action lawsuit in American history. The case was adapted for the successful 2000 in film, 2000 film ''Erin Brockovich (film), Erin Brockovich'', with Albert Finney portraying Masry. He had a non-speaking cameo appearance in the film as a restaurant patron sitting behind Julia Roberts, as did Erin Brockovich, who played a waitress.

Personal life

Masry died at age 73 at Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center, Los Robles Hospital in Thousand Oaks, California, Thousand Oaks, due to complications related to diabetes. He had resigned from the City Council of Thousand Oaks one week earlier because of his medical condition.

Filmography

References

External links

* * 1932 births 2005 deaths 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American politicians American politicians of Syrian descent Burials at Valley Oaks Memorial Park California city council members California lawyers Deaths from diabetes Loyola Law School alumni People from Thousand Oaks, California Politicians from Paterson, New Jersey Trial lawyers United States Army non-commissioned officers University of California, Los Angeles alumni University of California, Santa Barbara alumni University of Southern California alumni {{US-law-bio-stub