Erin Brockovich and attorney Ed Masry in 2000
Kim D. Johnson/AP
Masry and Brockovich, his legal assistant, became populist heroes when they won a $333 million settlement on behalf of more than 600 residents of the town of Hinkley, Calif., where they claimed a Pacific Gas & Electric's gas-compressor station leaked carcinogens into the groundwater.
Masry, who practiced law for more than 40 years, earned a law degree from Loyola Law School even though he never received a bachelor's degree. He started his law practice in L.A. in 1961, reports the Associated Press.
Masry's wife, Joette, five children and 10 grandchildren survive him.
