List of characters for A Civil Action

1. Character List/Roles
 Jan Schlichtmann- main character in the book, is self-centered and egocentric, doesn’t
smoke or drink coffee, only drinks bottled water, nothing stronger than an aspirin, has a
diet, graduated from University of Massachusetts, sold insurance for six months, and then
became a personal injury lawyer.
 James Gordon- works with Jan as a financial advisor
 Anne Anderson- the mom who starts the whole case because her son dies
 Judge Walter J. Skinner- the judge who oversees the whole case, graduated from Harvard
in 1948, spent 9 years as a judge before this case started
 Reverend Mr. Bruce Young- Trinity Church minister who is involved in the case because
he spent 6 years there and saw all the sick people and felt bad
 Robert Eaton- founded chemical company
 Jimmy Anderson- son of Anne and Charles, dies
 Charles Anderson- ex-husband to Anne, treasurer of the church
 Dr. Donald McLean- the Woburn family pediatrician
 Dr. John Truman- chief of pediatric hematology at the Massachusetts General Hospital
 Carol Gray
 Kay Bolster- works at beauty parlor
 Joan Zona- another mom involved in the case
 Michael Zona- the son of Joan who has leukemia, he is the youngest of 4 children
 Kevin Kane Jr- another kid who has leukemia
 Kevin Kane Sr- dad of Kevin Kane Jr, involved in the case
 Patricia Kane- mom of Kevin Kane Jr, involved in the case

2.  L.E. Pittendreigh- engineer in charge of Wells G and H
 Gerald Mahoney- Eastern Woburn councilman
 Donna Carner- worked as the General Aluminum Corp bookkeeper, is another mom
involved in the case
 Carl Robbins- served in the military, is a welder, is a dad involved in the case
 Carl “Robbie” Robbins III- son of Carl who had leukemia, dies
 Kevin Conway- worked at Reed and Mulligan for 2 years, 1st job was in NY and he left it
after 6 years, is an attorney for the case
 Joseph “Joe” Mulligan- divorce lawyer for Donna, also took part in Robbie’s hip
malpractice case
 Richard Aufiero- works as a Mayflower truck driver, is one of the dads involved in the
case
 Jarrod Aufiero- son of Richard and Lauren, dies of leukemia
 Lauren Aufiero- mom involved in the case
 Gerald McCall- acting director of New England Massachusetts EPA
 Thomas Mernin- city engineer, is one of the Defense’s witness
 Richard Toomey- works as a sheet metal worker, is a dad involved in the case
 Mary Toomey- mom involved in the case
 Michael Toomey- Mary and Richard’s 1st son, got killed by a car
 Patrick Toomey- the 2nd son of Mary and Richard, is an altar boy, one of the kids with
leukemia
 Charles C. Ryan- Daily Times reporter
 Dr. Clark Heath- one of the world’s experts on leukemia clusters

3.  Senator Edward Kennedy
 John Lilley- a foreman, one of the dads involved in the case
 Michael Lilley- John’s son who dies of leukemia
 Teresa Padro- a clothing buyer, ends up dating Jan but they break up after 5 years
 Alma
 Kathy Boyer- secretary for Jan
 G. Robert Blakey- chief counsel for House Select Committee on Assassinations
 Lowell Eaton
 Clement McCarthy –defense lawyer in the Eaton case
 Judge Peter Brady
 Paul Newman
 Barry Reed
 Peggy Veechine- another secretary for Jan
 Anthony Roisman- executive director of the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
 John Riley – owner of John J. Riley’s Tannery, son of the deceased owner
 Jerome Facher- Chairman of the litigation department at Boston firm of Hale and Door,
20 year law teacher at Harvard, Harvard graduate, lawyer for Beatrice
 Neil Jacobs- junior partner at Hale and Dorr firm, graduated from Harvard, one of Jerry’s
boys, works on the case with Facher
 William Cheeseman- Senior Partner in a Boston firm of Foley, is the lawyer for W.R.
Grace and Company
 Roland Gamache- one of the adult victims with leukemia that Jan speaks for, dies during
the trial

4.  Kathryn Gamache- wife of Roland, involved in the case
 Amy Gamache- daughter of Roland and Kathryn
 Denny Maher- Woburn city well driller
 Sylvia Skinner- clerk at court house
 Rikki Klieman- an Atlanta lawyer who helps out Jan on occasion
 Marvin Zelen- professor at School of Relation, is a statistician
 Dr. James Jandl- a leukemia doctor
 Dr. Alan Levin- an expert in toxic substances, is an immunologist, is one of the experts
that Jan calls to testify on behalf of the plantiffs
 Dr. Robert Colvin
 Ted Warshafsky- Milwaukee lawyer, Head of Trial Lawyers for Public Justice board,
sues drug companies
 Sal Liccardo- California lawyer, sues car manufacturers, TLFPS member
 Paul Shalline- Head of Safety and Maintenance at Woburn Collation Control office
 Thomas Barbas- Grace’s old painter, moved to buyer, is one of the witnesses that Jan
uses on the plaintiffs’ behalf
 Al Love- a receiving clerk at Grace
 Joe Meola- the plant’s maintenance man
 Donald Frederico- one of Facher’s younger associates
 Vincent “Vin” Forte- Woburn plant manager
 Evelyn Love
 Cy Witmer- worked in sheet metal shop
 Frank Kelly- one of the supervisors of the plant

5.  Robert “Bob” Pasqueriella- electrician
 Eddie Orazine- assembly foreman
 Richard Stewart- one of Grace’s executives
 Paul Kelly- the 21 year old son of Frank
 Ulf Nordin- the new Woburn plant manager
 Jack Knowlty- worked in the tan room, died of stomach cancer at 40
 Maurice O’Connor- worked in the color room, died of cancer
 Nick Murray- had heart attack
 Jim Feeney- had heart attack
 Frank Valente- worked in wringing room, died of lung cancer
 Joe Palino- color mixer with lung cancer
 A.C. Bolde- sanitary engineer
 Ruth Turner
 Paul Turner
 Bernard Turner- Chicago medical doctor
 Sharon Turner- Bernard’s ex-wife
 Patti D’Addieco- the 22 year old who answers telephones for Jan, then gets assigned to
dig up all the medical history of the Woburn families
 Dr. Shirley Conibear- occupational and environmental medicine specialist
 Chuck Anderson
 Diane Aufiero
 Saul Cohen- Cardiologist, Boston University School of Medicine professor

6.  Dr. Robert G. Feldman- chairman of the Department of Neurology at Boston University
School of Medicine
 Beverly Paigen- biochemist, works in a Children’s Hospital in Oakland, California
 Robert Harris- Princeton
 Mark Phillips- one of James Gordon’s partners, is an ex-lawyer
 George “Uncle Pete” Kennedy Briggs II- Vice President of a Private Banking Group at
Boston Bank, gives Jan all of his loans
 Marc Temin- one of Cheeseman’s partners, is a lawyer
 Charles “Million Dollar Charlie” Nesson- a Harvard law professor who graduated at the
top of his class in Harvard, is considered a genius, ends up working with Jan
 Tom Kiley- a personal injury lawyer who ends up working with Jan
 Charles Wyzanski- a federal judge
 Arthur Miller
 Felix Frankfurter
 Supreme Court Justice John Harlan
 John Doar- works in the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department
 Laurence Tribe
 Alan Dershowitz
 Tom Neville- a defense lawyer
 Dr. Vern Byers- immunologist from California
 Millie Johnson
 Dr. Gilbert Horton Mudge Jr.- a Harvard professor, is a cardiologist

7.  Dr. John Cuffin- a molecular biologist, professor at Tuff’s University School of
Medicine, ends up being one of Cheeseman’s expert witnesses
 Wendell Phillips
 David Gelber- 60 minutes show producer
 Ed Bradley- 60 minutes correspondent
 Mary Allen- Beatrice’s assistant general counsel
 Michael Keating- one of Cheeseman’s partners, graduated from Harvard, Jan negotiates a
settlement with him towards the end of the case
 John Drobinski- a geologist, Jan uses him as the first expert witness
 Frank McCann- a worker for Grace, used as one of Jan’s witnesses
 William Vogel- the jury foreman, he is a utility company manager, had to go get heart
surgery during the decision making process of the trial
 Sandra Lynch- another one of Cheeseman’s partners
 Linda Kaplan- member of the jury, clerk for an insurance company
 Andy Lord- Jan’s expert on courtroom graphics, an MIT graduate
 Mary Zoza- the firm’s bookkeeper
 Bill Crowley- a lawyer
 Helen O’Connell- one of the clients of a case that goes on during the Woburn case
 Dr. George F. Pinder- expert in hydrology and groundwater movement, used as an expert
witness by Jan to show how the solvents contaminated the water supply
 Phyllis Pinder
 John Wigmore- legal scholar
 Julianna Phillips

8.  Olin Braids- a soil chemist, the defense’s expert witness
 Vincent Murphy- head of Weston Geophysical
 John Guswa- ground water expert, testifies for Keating and is an expert witness, basically
says that the solvents couldn’t have been there for more than 6 months
 Jean Coulsey- forklift lady, member of the jury
 Robert Fox- is an environmentalist, is also a member of the jury
 Walter Day- an irrelevant witness
 Vincent O’Rourke- postal employee, member of the jury
 Harriet Clarke- church organist, member of the jury
 Henry Jason- retired police officer, an alternate juror
 Dina Gilbern- retired social worker has 2 kids, member of the Auduborn society and
Sierra club, an alternate juror
 David Hartman
 Albert “Al” Eustis- Grace’s executive Vice President and General Counsel, tries to help
with the negotiation with Jan
 J. Peter Grace- chairman of Grace
 Charles Erhart- works in the chief administrative office of Grace, Vice Chairman of
Counsel
 Norma Nathan- Boston Herald gossip columnist, wants to list Jan as one of the most
available bachelors
 Pasquale Zona
 Ron Zona
 Justice William O’ Douglas

9.  Mary Ryan- Riley’s personal lawyer
 Welch- an IRS agent
 Judge Juan Torruella- judge for the Court of Appeals
 Neiman Marcus
 Lawrence “Butch” Knox- well driller
 William Marcus- former tannery maintenance employee
 James Granger- former plant manager in charge of tannery maintenance
 David Delaney- EPA investigator, Project manager of the Woburn site
 William Sorenson-driver of tannery’s Michigan loader
 James Quarles- a 43 year old lawyer who works with Facher
 Judge Stephen Breyer- chief justice of Appellate Court
 Claudia Barragan
 John Wyman
 Gershom Flagg
 Stuart- boy in the Eaton case, dead