Mass Torts
WHAT TYPE OF A CLAIM IS A MASS TORT?
Our firm Feldman Law, helps people who have sustained injuries due to defective products and dangerous drugs. We represent victims of these products nationwide and fight to recover physical and financial damages on their behalf.
It could be helpful to explain the word “tort” which is a very common word used. A “tort” is essentially a word to describe a “wrongful action” that caused injury to someone. A mass tort is simply a single wrongful action that causes injury to many people. Sometimes this group of distinct individuals are from the same geographic area. Other times, they are spread out across the country. While some torts are accidental, others could be proved to be intentional. In either case, the injured victims can file a civil lawsuit to recover for the physical and financial injuries that they have sustained.
These separate individual injured people can join together in a single mass tort lawsuit, seeking justice and compensation for their injuries against just one or more defendant’s or wrongdoers. By using this method, it makes it easier for the individual mass tort victims to take on and succeed against giant corporate defendants like product and medication manufacturers.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MASS TORT AND CLASS ACTION?
The main difference between Mass Torts and Class Actions is how the group of injured people or plaintiffs is treated.
While the plaintiffs in a mass tort are part of a large group, each individual member is still treated as a distinct separate individual. That means, for instance, that each individual plaintiff must prove certain facts, including how each person was injured and damaged by the actions of the defendant.
On the other hand, class actions are handled a little different. The large group of plaintiffs, known collectively as the class, are represented by a class representative, or individual who stands in for the rest of the class and is called a class representative. This means all members of the class are treated as one plaintiff, not separately.
Separate large amounts of personal injury claims over defective devices and dangerous drugs can slow down the litigation process and clog up the civil court system. Therefore, the reason for some courts to centralize the case with one particular judge in order for them to be handled more efficiently.
There are many benefits to participating in a mass tort action, let us help provide you with a no costs risk-free consultation. If you believe you may have a mass tort claim, call Feldman Law today at 877-335-3626.