{{Short description|Civil lawsuit involving many plaintiffs and few defendants}} A '''mass tort''' is a civil action involving numerous plaintiffs against one or a few defendants in state or federal court. The lawsuits arise out of the defendants causing numerous injuries through the same or similar act of harm (e.g. a prescription drug, a medical device, a defective product, a train accident, a plane crash, pollution, or a construction disaster).
== Background == Law firms sometimes use mass media to reach potential plaintiffs. In U.S. federal courts, mass tort claims are often consolidated as multidistrict litigation. In some cases, mass torts are addressed through a class action.
== Categories == The main categories of mass torts include: * Medical device injuries * Motor vehicle defects<ref>{{Cite web |title=New Haven Mass Tort Lawyers |url=https://www.ltke.com/personal-injury/class-action-mass-torts/mass-torts/ |access-date=2022-06-01 |website=LTKE Law |language=en-US}}</ref> * Prescription drug injuries * Product liability injuries * Toxic contamination
== In popular culture == * {{cite book|title=The King of Torts|year=2003|publisher=Delta|isbn=978-0385339650|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h1BfDy8N3XoC|author=John Grisham|author-link=John Grisham}}
== Further reading == * {{cite book|last=Nagareda|first=Richard A.|title=Mass Torts in a World of Settlement|year=2007|publisher=University of Chicago Press|location=Chicago, Illinois|isbn=9780226567600|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0e0CxGhyQ88C}} * {{cite book|last1=Dunbar|first1=Frederick D.|title=Estimating Future Claims: Case Studies from Mass Tort and Product Liability|year=1996|publisher=Andrews Professional Books|location=Wayne, Pennsylvania|isbn=978-0963624680|first2=Denise |last2=Martin |first3=Phoebus J. |last3=Dhrymes }} * {{cite book|title=Individual Justice in Mass Tort Litigation|year=1995|publisher=Northwestern University Press|isbn=9780810111882|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tH5nHmwWDjgC|author=Jack B. Weinstein}} * {{cite book|title=Mass Tort Litigation: Cases and Materials (American Casebooks)|year=2008|publisher=Thomson West|isbn=978-0314232311|first=Linda S.|last=Mullenix|edition=2}} * {{cite book|last=Sanders|first=Joseph|title=Bendectin on Trial: A Study of Mass Tort Litigation|year=1998|publisher=University of Michigan Press|isbn=978-0472096015|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iQOdskzLTzEC}} * {{cite book|title=Report on Mass Tort Litigation|year=1999|publisher=Diane Pub Co|isbn=978-0756705039|editor=Paul V. Niemeyer and Anthony J. Scirica}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/mass_tort_litigation/ Mass Tort Litigation Blog] * [https://druganddevicelaw.blogspot.com/2007/06/anatomy-of-mass-tort.html Anatomy of a Mass Tort] * [http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9021/index1.html Understanding Mass Personal Injury Litigation] * [http://library.findlaw.com/2004/Sep/23/133580.html Cutting-Edge Approaches for Managing Mass Tort Litigation in the New Millenium (sic)<!-- PLEASE NOTE that "Millenium" is deliberately spelled incorrectly here, reflecting the mistake on the external page. -->]
Category:Tort law
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