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Mass Tort Litigation Explained

Kelly Hyman

One of the areas of tort litigation that is becoming more common lately is mass torts. This style of civil suit can be an efficient way of handling suits that involve multiple people or corporations.

The Legal Definition of Mass Torts

Mass torts are a type of civil action that involves plaintiffs bringing forward a suit against one or more corporations for a wrongful action that injured all the plaintiffs in one or more ways. Unlike a class action suit, the plaintiffs in mass torts still remain a group of individuals. The number of plaintiffs involved in a mass tort action can vary greatly, ranging from small groups to thousands of individuals.

Examples of Mass Tort Litigation

Mass tort litigation is frequently used in cases against corporations. The most common types of mass torts tend to be a group of people claiming that a company’s products have caused them harm in a variety of ways.

For example, a mass tort may be a group of plaintiffs alleging that defective drugs caused all sorts of dangerous side effects. It can also be used for product liability cases where customers were harmed due to a malfunctioning product or a lack of instructions on safely using a product.

Pros of Mass Tort Litigation

Mass tort litigation can have several advantages. Mass tort litigation can provide a cost-effective means of litigation for plaintiffs. Secondly, if a large group of people has similar harm, it may ease the proof of harm and possible help to resolve the matter.