ipl-logo

Summary Of The Buffalo Creek Disaster By Gerald M. Stern

1521 Words7 Pages

The Buffalo Creek Disaster written by Gerald M. Stern helped me understand the different decisions a lawyer must go through to help their clients. The Buffalo Creek Disaster was a man-made disaster that occurred in February 1972. The Buffalo Creek Mining Company’s coal waste refuse pile collapsed, leaving over 125 people dead and 4,000 people mentally distraught. The Arnold & Porter law firm was reached out to by survivors for help and Gerald M. Stern was appointed as the lawyer for the case, who eventually won $13.5 million for the survivors. While reading the book, I evaluated the ethical conduct of the relevant characters. I personally felt that the conduct of Gerald M. Stern was ethical. He always put his client’s needs first while making …show more content…

First off, there was a lot of corruption in West Virginia, which was overlooked. The fact that the coal mining industry basically ran the state and got away with a lot of things is not a new concept. Big companies today have a lot of input in our government, and the only surprise to me was that this has been going on for so long. I believe that our legal system is very corrupted by big corporations and the fact that nothing has been done for this many years changed my view to realize that this issue will never be fixed. Another thing that changed my view of the legal system was the issues about PTSD. I thought that PTSD had been widely known and the fact that it was not believed to be a real thing until the Buffalo Creek Disaster is shocking. It made me realize that things are always changing, and it takes time for the legal system to catch up. Lastly, I learned that judges can be very biased, which is actually a little scary. I saw this with Judge Hall and with the Judge in the Larry Nassar case. Although, in my opinion, their hearts were in the right place, it is not fair for judges to be biased in making decisions about cases. Our legal system allows judges to make important decisions on their own, which is a huge responsibility, and if it falls into the wrong hands, there could be severe

Show More
Related
1131 Words | 5 Pages

The Remembrance Of The Hurricane Creek Mine Disaster December 30, 1970 is the day everything changed for 39 families in the small town of Leslie County, Kentucky. The Hurricane Creek explosion was the most deadly coal mine disaster in eastern Kentucky history, and remains the most lethal mining disaster in America in the last 45 years(Lexington Herald Leader). The Hurricane Creek mine disaster was very devastating for the families, friends, and the one man that lived that day. The coal mines play a huge role in the job industry in Kentucky. This tragedy caused the whole company to shut down, which put a lot of people out of work.

Read More
167 Words | 1 Pages

On March 12, 1928, the San Francis Dam (made by William Mulholland) collapsed 12 hours after he and his assistant gave it a safety inspection. The broken dam caused about 450 people to be killed. This was the cause of William Mulholland 's horrible reputation. His career came to an end and he lost everyone 's high respect. Some of the people even wanted him to die because he was the cause of them losing some of their family members.

Read More
784 Words | 4 Pages

John Wells was driving near the mouth of Middle Fork when his car was covered in black wastewater. He saw that the valley below the dam was covered in an ominous layer of black waste. Wells tried to warn the residents of Buffalo Creek of the impending disaster but was unable to use the phone due to power outages. He was powerless to warn Buffalo Creek of the impending disaster. The water raged towards Buffalo Creek until the wastewater finally emptied into the Guyandotte River fifteen miles later.

Read More
941 Words | 4 Pages

Thesis: “that judges, if they act rationally, must weigh all the alternatives” [see page 641]. Discussion- analysis of strategies and tactics. Assumptions made by the author; (1) historical role of a free society, has been deeply embedded in the American judiciary, (2) the

Read More
1255 Words | 6 Pages

7. Would you recommend this book to someone interested in administrative ethics? Why or why

Read More
534 Words | 3 Pages

A hill of aspens, glowing golden, shines on the right side of the trail while the left side is a pine-covered hill. Between the two is the trail, a magical escape from reality. This is my sanctuary, of Buffalo Peaks wilderness. The trying experience of hiking through the mountains with 40 pounds on your back, the straps of your pack rubbing the skin off your hips and shoulders. The tension building in your muscles as you struggle under the weight.

Read More
1025 Words | 5 Pages

The united states is one of the most empowered country’s from our economy, to our military, but like every other country we have our flaws. Our flaws are found in our judicial system. You can witness these flaws by watching the HBO series paradise lost, a documentary about the West Memphis three, a brutal killing of three West Memphis boys. This court case shows many flaws from the bias to the actual evidence the prosecution shows.

Read More
879 Words | 4 Pages

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Analysis “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce, is a story that drastically depending on what perspective you look at it from. Is it about a man who is just trying to protect his home, or is he an enemy of the state? Maybe the man is skilled enough to make a quick escape back to his home and family; perhaps he’s a delusional man seconds away from death. Did he deserve to die just because he didn’t follow the rules of oppressive tyrants? Or did he get his just deserts for trying to disrupt the peace?

Read More
465 Words | 2 Pages

A fair and unbiased court system is necessary for the legal system. The role of the court is to correct any injustice, not to compound it. When prejudice and corruption leak into the courts, what recourse do we have for eradicating them from society? Our judges must be stalwarts of integrity because the power to move our country forward or hold our country back often lies in their hands. Judge Persky had the power to bring justice to a victim, to help her and her family move forward.

Read More
1080 Words | 5 Pages

“An Allusion at Owl Creek Bridge” “As Peyton Farquhar fell straight downward through the bridge he lost consciousness and was as one already dead.” (Bierce 8 ) “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is a short story written by Ambrose Bierce. Bierce was regarded as one of the most influential journalists in the United States and was an American editorialist, journalist, short-story writer and satirist. He also enlisted in 1861, eventually achieving the rank of lieutenant and fighting in several noted battles and campaigns. In “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”, a Southern plantation owner named Peyton Farquhar is hanged during the American Civil War.

Read More
1553 Words | 7 Pages

In 2001, director Antoine Fuqua released the film “Training Day,” starring Ethan Hawke and Denzel Washington. Denzel Washington won a Best Actor award in 2002, from starring in this movie. “Training Day” is a crime film/thriller. Police drama, that involves a veteran officer, who is now a detective, taking a rookie, a former security guard, on his first day with the Los Angeles Police Department narcotics unit. In the movie “Training Day,” Alonzo Harris and Jake Hoyt are the two main characters’ names.

Read More
462 Words | 2 Pages

The sixth amendment defines the right to a speedy trail. In Section I of the amendment states “No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” (Hendrix, 2013, p. 91). The state government cannot kill, imprison, or seize personal property without a fair trial. An individual is innocent until proven guilty, the Bible states “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him, to find out what he has been doing?”

Read More
1237 Words | 5 Pages

Introduction\hook: ever wondered what the deadliest natural disaster was in Canada? Do you need help preparing for hurricanes? Ever wondered what the weather is like in Canada? Read this article to learn about them. Historical background: One of the deadliest natural disasters in Canada was the NEWFOUND HURRICANE.

Read More
735 Words | 3 Pages

This movie “Erin Brockovich” present few number of business ethical issues. This film is based on true story and demonstrates few business ethical issues for their own profit. The movie describes the story of Erin Brockovich who is a struggling single mother who becomes connected to Ed Masry’s law firm because of an unfortunate car accident, and begins working at the law firm out of desperation for an income. As she spends time filing papers as a clerk, she becomes interested in the human nature of the medical cases and persuades Ed Masry to allow her to investigate further. Erin spends numerous hours examining these cases and finds a link to between the community members of Hinkley, CA and a company by the name of Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), who have a plant in Hinkley.

Read More
1399 Words | 6 Pages

However, as we discussed in class, there are so many situations where ethical decision-making occurs, and there are so many factors that influence why we do what we do. Because we work with a multitude people with interesting and diverse lives and backgrounds, and because we come in with our own baggage and experiences that influence how we act and react, we make split-second decisions all the time that can have profound effects on our work and our consumers. Having so many opportunities to look at my own actions, this particular assignment has been so rewarding and interesting for me. This is the first time in any of my assignments where I have been forced to look at how ethics is involved in our

Read More

More about Summary Of The Buffalo Creek Disaster By Gerald M. Stern

Open Document