‘Dark Waters’ Puts PFAS Saga On Big Screen As Ohio Valley Contamination Comes To Light
Dec 2, 2019
The new film “Dark Waters” depicts the real-life story of the 20-year battle waged by attorney Rob Bilott against chemical giant DuPont.
We meet Bilott, played by Mark Ruffalo, as a young corporate defense lawyer living in Cincinnati. His grandmother, who lives in Parkersburg, West Virginia, gives his phone number to local farmer, Earl Tennant. Tennant lives next to a landfill where DuPont had been dumping a chemical called C8.
In a scene from the film, Tennant, played by actor Bill Camp, shows Bilott around his farm, where his cows are dying.
“You tell me nothing’s wrong here,” Tennant tells Bilott.
Bilott, with the begrudging blessing of his law firm Taft Stettinius & Hollister, LLP, takes the case as a “small” favor for a family friend.