Mass tort

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).

Law firms sometimes use mass media to reach potential plaintiffs.

The main categories of mass torts include:

• Medical device injuries
• Motor vehicle defects^[1]
• Prescription drug injuries
• Product liability injuries
• Toxic contamination

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.

In popular culture

• John Grisham (2003). The King of Torts. Delta. ISBN 978-0385339650.

Further reading

• Nagareda, Richard A. (2007). Mass Torts in a World of Settlement. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226567600.
• Dunbar, Frederick D.; Martin, Denise; Dhrymes, Phoebus J. (1996). Estimating Future Claims: Case Studies from Mass Tort and Product Liability. Wayne, Pennsylvania: Andrews Professional Books. ISBN 978-0963624680.
• Jack B. Weinstein (1995). Individual Justice in Mass Tort Litigation. Northwestern University Press. ISBN 9780810111882.
• Mullenix, Linda S. (2008). Mass Tort Litigation: Cases and Materials (American Casebooks) (2 ed.). Thomson West. ISBN 978-0314232311.
• Sanders, Joseph (1998). Bendectin on Trial: A Study of Mass Tort Litigation. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0472096015.
• Paul V. Niemeyer and Anthony J. Scirica, ed. (1999). Report on Mass Tort Litigation. Diane Pub Co. ISBN 978-0756705039.