A Civil Action (1998)

Bruce Norris: William Cheeseman

Quotes 

• Jan Schlichtmann : [during a settlement agreement meeting, referring to the companies they're suing represented by their lawyers]  Bill, how much did Grace make last year?

  William Cheeseman : I have no idea but I have a feeling you do

  Jan Schlichtmann : One hundred ninety eight million dollars

  [to Jerry] 

  Jan Schlichtmann : And, Beatrice?

  Jerome Facher : I don't know

  Jan Schlichtmann : Four hundred thirty six million dollars together that's six hundred thirty four million dollars. One year that's net. So that's what they made, this is how much they'd be made to pay: to compensate the families, to provide for their economic security in the future

  William Cheeseman : Don't forget you, compensating you

  Jan Schlichtmann : And to make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen again

• William Cheeseman : That water hasn't made anybody sick

  Al Love : [talking privately in an alleyway, after giving his deposition]  How do you know?

  William Cheeseman : I just do

  Al Love : There are a lot of people in my neighborhood that are dead or dying from something

  William Cheeseman : If I took a hundred pennies and threw them up in the air about half of them would land on heads and half would land on tails, if I looked closely I'd see pennies that landed on heads grouped in a cluster what does that mean? Does that mean anything? No one knows what causes Leukemia no one knows what caused that cluster

  Al Love : I know what happened, and I know who did it

  William Cheeseman : This is very important I want you to tell me whose those people are

  Al Love : I'm not a rat

  William Cheeseman : It's important because if there's something wrong out there we need to disclose it to the proper authorities and have it cleaned up you think about that and call me

  Al Love : [dismissively, before walking away]  Yeah

• William Cheeseman : [Defense opening statement]  Its true, small amounts of solvents were left on the ground why? To evaporate, did they? Yes, these chemicals never reached wells almost half a mile away and we will show that, and they never made anybody sick and we will show that too.