“Mass tort” is a legal term that encompasses a certain type of personal injury litigation. Specifically, it describes a civil action in which a large number of plaintiffs sue common corporate defendants in state or federal court. Additionally, a mass tort must involve factual and legal commonalities, typically a single alleged wrong such as an accident or exposure to a harmful substance, product, or drug.

With nearly 70 years of trial experience, the attorneys of Belt Law Firm, P.C. have experience representing victims of mass torts throughout the United States.

Mass torts often involve individuals who are spread out geographically over a number of legal jurisdictions. Mass torts usually fall into one of three categories.

Mass Disaster Torts relate to single events with widespread injury, including:

• Airplane or rail disaster
• Chemical spills
• Pipeline explosions
• Bridge collapses

Mass Toxic Torts involve widespread exposure (over distance or time) to a toxic substance such as:

• Asbestos exposure
• Air or water contamination

Defective Products Litigation involves widespread harm resulting from a defective product, including medical devices and pharmaceuticals. Mass torts for defective products include:

• Diet drugs such as Phen-Fen and Redux
• Anti-inflammatory medications such as Vioxx
• Hormone replacement therapies
• Contraceptives such as Depo-Provera and Ortho-Evra
• Gadolinium based contrast dyes
• Medtronic pacemakers and/or difibulators
• Heart Stent litigation
• SSRI Drug litigation

Mass torts cases are unique in that they must include consideration for future claimants -- those who have been injured but do not yet know the extent or cause of their injuries as well as those who do not know their legal rights.

Because of the unique characteristics of mass tort cases, the Federal Courts have established the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation that makes decisions about how and where certain mass tort cases will be handled. Also, a number of states have established complex litigation courts to handle them. This allows the cases to be supervised by judges with specific knowledge and experience and also allows for judicial oversight. Unlike single-plaintiff cases, decisions made by legal counsel for the plaintiffs in mass torts cases can have broad-reaching implications for a large number of individuals. Providing judges with some degree of administrative power serves to protect the rights of all claimants.

For your consultation with a Lawyer about your potential mass tort claim, fill out our contact form or call us at 888-933-1514 (toll free).