Philadelphia Mass Tort Attorneys

Mass torts are civil lawsuits that usually have many plaintiffs suing one or a few corporations as defendants. Mass torts can be brought in state or federal courts. Courts refer to these action as mass torts in part due to the number of litigants, but also because of how the plaintiffs’ attorneys use mass media to discover more people who have been hurt by the corporation. For a lawsuit to be a mass tort, a product must have harmed many people, the same defendant caused those people harm, and they consolidate the suit into one action rather than separate lawsuits.

How Mass Torts Are Different Than Other Lawsuits

There are three factors that set mass torts apart from other personal injury or class action lawsuits. First, they are volumes of claims against a single device or product. Second, though there are a large number of plaintiffs, the underlying facts from plaintiff to plaintiff are similar if not the same. Finally, the differing claims in mass tort lawsuits will mutually rely on each other – each claim is a building block of the case.

Advances in technology, particularly production and distribution, are part of the reason why mass torts have become necessary in the legal arena. Because of large production and distribution, large numbers of people can be affected by a single product. Mass tort litigation involves many areas of the law, but the two most common mass tort claims involve:

  • Pharmaceutical Claims – Many pharmaceutical companies release products without proper testing or even knowing there are serious side effects. Dangerous drugs that form the basis of pharmaceutical mass tort claims can be prescribed, sold over the counter. Dangerous and defective medical devices also fall under this category.
  • Product Liability Claims – When a consumer product is dangerous or doesn’t act as the consumer expects, the people who were injured by the hazardous device may sue the company through a product claim.

Permission to File a Mass Tort Action

In these situations, the lawyers of the plaintiffs have to ask the court for permission to file a mass tort action. To determine whether the court will give permission, judges must consider:

  • The number of plaintiffs
  • The location of the plaintiffs to each other
  • The similarities of the plaintiffs’ injuries
  • Whether there is a common cause among the plaintiffs

If the court decides the case in question is a mass tort, the judge will quickly assign the case and may even order that the attorneys publicize the lawsuit in case there are others who have been harmed by the product and want to add their name to the lawsuit.

A mass tort differs from a class action tort, though the two types of civil actions have some similarities. In a mass tort, plaintiffs each have an individual claim. Every plaintiff has his or her own trial. In a class action there is one trial, and the law doesn’t consider the plaintiffs as individuals.

Particularly large mass torts cases are argued in federal courts as MDLs (multi district litigation). When there is the potential for many claimants to clog up courts over the same case, multi district litigation can help move the process along more efficiently. This would involve attorneys and plaintiffs arguing the case in front of a single federal court judge instead of pursuing multiple individual cases.

Pros and Cons of a Mass Torts Suit

When a large group is organized, mass tort litigation can be efficient and cost-effective. Generally, attorneys handle most of the litigation, and plaintiffs have a smaller role. It’s also easier for a court to see the effects of a defective product when there are similar proofs among plaintiffs. Despite these pros, mass tort cases can be a challenge, as many courts simply don’t have the equipment to handle such a large group of litigants. Corporations may claim they cannot fairly defend themselves against so many claims.

Get a Free Consultation With a Philadelphia Mass Tort Lawyer

Mass torts cases hinge on a qualified and experienced attorney. A mass tort lawyer who fails to organize the many people in the group can ruin these cases, even causing unfair allocation of the settlement.

If you or a loved one has been injured or made ill as the result of a defective product or a pharmaceutical drug’s side effects, your injury could be part of a much larger legal issues, class actions or mass torts. Our mass tort attorneys take pride in establishing a strong attorney-client relationship, and we’re ready to provide legal advice and guidance on your next steps.

Call our personal injury lawyers at Anapol Weiss for your free case evaluation today.