Mass Tort

What Is a Mass Tort?

A mass tort is civil litigation brought by large numbers of individuals who were harmed by the same product, drug, or corporate conduct — each with their own case and their own damages. If you were injured by a defective drug, dangerous medical device, toxic exposure, or other widespread harm, you may have a mass tort claim. Here's what you need to know.

What is a mass tort?

A mass tort is a civil lawsuit brought by a large number of individuals against one or a few defendants where each plaintiff was harmed by the same product or conduct but suffered individual, varying injuries. Each plaintiff has their own case. Your damages are based on your specific harm — not averaged with others.

How is it different from a class action?

In a class action, all plaintiffs share a single recovery based on common harm. In a mass tort, you have your own individual case with damages tied to your specific injuries. Someone with catastrophic injuries recovers far more than someone with minor harm. Learn more about class actions →

What is an MDL?

Multidistrict litigation (MDL) consolidates thousands of mass tort cases from across the country before a single federal judge for coordinated pretrial proceedings. It does not merge the cases — each plaintiff's claim remains individual. MDL allows plaintiffs' lawyers to share experts and discovery costs while courts manage the docket efficiently.

What types of cases are mass torts?

Common mass torts involve defective prescription drugs, dangerous medical devices, toxic chemical or environmental exposure, contaminated water, and defective consumer products causing serious physical injury. The key: widespread, documented personal harm caused by a common product or conduct.

How long do mass torts take?

Mass tort litigation typically spans three to seven years — and some major MDLs have run for a decade or more. Timeline depends on the scientific complexity, number of plaintiffs, defendants' litigation strategy, and whether bellwether trial verdicts create settlement momentum. Patience is a real part of the process. Most cases ultimately resolve through negotiated settlement.

Why not just file my own individual lawsuit?

Going it alone against a large corporation is enormously expensive. Major defendants deploy armies of lawyers and spend hundreds of millions on defense. Consolidated mass tort proceedings allow plaintiffs' counsel to pool resources, share expert witnesses and scientific evidence, and develop litigation strategies individual plaintiffs could never afford. In virtually every mass tort, coordination delivers far greater leverage. Moreover, in many cases, courts require related cases to be consolidated, such that pursuing your case individually may not even be an option.

Pros & cons of consolidated proceedings

Pros: Shared costs, coordinated expert testimony, bellwether trials establishing case values, and enormous negotiating leverage. Cons: Your case moves at the pace of the broader litigation rather than on an individual timeline, and global settlement frameworks — while comprehensive — may not perfectly reflect every plaintiff's unique circumstances. Your attorney advocates for your individual allocation within that structure.

How are mass tort settlements determined?

Defendants typically agree to a global settlement fund, and individual payments are calculated using a matrix — injury severity, duration of product use, age, and supporting medical documentation. Bellwether trial results heavily influence the negotiated values. Your attorney negotiates your individual allocation based on your specific profile.

Will I have my own attorney?

Yes. Unlike a class action, you have your own attorney representing your individual interests throughout — gathering your medical records, documenting your damages, and negotiating your allocation. Your lawyer works in coordination with the broader plaintiffs' leadership but advocates for you specifically.

Do I have to go to court or testify?

It's possible, but unlikely. Most mass tort plaintiffs never appear in court. The vast majority of cases resolve through negotiated settlements before trial. A small number are selected as bellwether trials, and their cases go to trial to help establish settlement values, but if your case is not chosen as a bellwether, you probably won't need to go to court. You may need to participate in a deposition, but full individual trials are uncommon in well-developed mass tort litigation.

AFFF Firefighting Foam Lawsuit: Firefighters, Veterans & Cancer (2026 Update)
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Mass Tort

AFFF Firefighting Foam Lawsuit: Firefighters, Veterans & Cancer (2026 Update)

Aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) used by the military and at airports contains PFAS "forever chemicals" linked to kidney cancer, testicular cancer, thyroid disease, and other serious conditions. If you are a firefighter, military veteran, or airport worker who developed cancer after exposure to AFFF firefighting foam, you may have a legal claim. Free case review.

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