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A mass tort is civil litigation involving a large number of victims suing the same corporate defendant(s) over injuries (or even deaths) caused by the defendant’s negligence. In most mass tort cases, plaintiffs are suing over harm caused by a single common product such as a defective drug, medical device or other consumer product.

Mass torts usually begin when numerous lawsuits have been filed against a company alleging that their product caused the same or similar injuries. If the court determines that the lawsuits have enough in common to proceed as a mass tort, they will be moved to the same court and assigned to a single judge. This centralization of cases is known as a multidistrict litigation (MDL).

The U.S. court system uses mass tort litigation to manage a large number of similar lawsuits in order to increase efficiency, decrease litigation costs, and resolve cases quickly.

A class action is a type of lawsuit in which a group of people with the same or similar injuries band together to sue a defendant. Injuries typically include monetary losses caused by a defective product or service.

Class action lawsuits provide legal recourse when several people have been harmed by the same company, and they have suffered the same injuries, incurring similar costs. This group of people make up the “Class.” The plaintiffs seek compensation from a defendant on behalf of themselves as well as a group of similarly affected consumers.

Once the class certification is completed by the judge, the court will continue moving along within the appropriate court proceedings. 

Multidistrict litigation (or MDL) refers to a type of legal procedure designed to handle large groups of similar cases involving complex legal matters. Unlike a Class Action lawsuit, in which one plaintiff or small group of plaintiffs brings legal claims on behalf of an entire Class of consumers, MDL refers to a group of individual lawsuits that have been consolidated into a single court. Each individual lawsuit in an MDL is spearheaded by a single plaintiff seeking damages for his or her specific injuries. MDLs are often created to organize lawsuits filed over injuries caused by a defective medical device or product.

The first step is to find an attorney who is experienced in class action litigation to represent you. Because many defendants in class action lawsuits are large corporations who can afford to pay significant legal fees to defend themselves from litigation, it is important that the attorney you select has the experience and resources needed to bring a strong case.

Most class action attorneys take cases on a contingent fee basis, so you don’t need to pay to participate. Attorneys who work on a contingency basis don’t get paid unless they win the case. After looking into the facts of your class action lawsuit, the attorney will decide whether it is worthwhile to take on.

When you’re looking for an attorney to represent you in a class action lawsuit, you need to make sure the lawyer is experienced, has a strong record of success and has sufficient resources. Finding an experienced lawyer who is willing to take on your case can be a challenge.

A Class Member is a person or entity who belongs to a specific group that is directly affected by allegations against a defendant in a class action lawsuit.

When a class action lawsuit is filed, the plaintiff files it on behalf of a proposed Class that was affected by some harmful action or omission by a defendant. However, members of the proposed Class do not actually become Class Members until a judge says so. The plaintiff must convince the judge that Class certification is appropriate.

Two important factors must be met before a judge will approve a Class: the case must be appropriate to handle as a class action lawsuit (instead of an individual lawsuit) and the lead plaintiff must be an appropriate representative for the Class.