Your story matters, and you can make a difference with your voice. Mass tort cases help consumers all over the country by compelling manufacturers to produce safe products. Defective products do not belong in the hands of the consumer. Our mass tort lawyers have extensive litigation experience representing individuals who are injured due to negligence on the part of others. Our main goal is to ensure personal injury victims all over the country receive maximum compensation for their damages.
If you or a loved one was a victim of a defective product or defective drug, contact Helping the Hurt. We want you to have the best legal outcome. Mass tort cases are some of the most challenging issues in the legal field, so you need the best team of lawyers to represent you.
Our legal team will refer you to a skilled attorney with extensive experience so you can get the justice you deserve. Our team of lawyers will review your claim during your free consultation. We will work hard to take legal action and hold product manufacturers and drug companies accountable for their negligence.
Table of Contents
A mass tort lawsuit is a wrongful act, typically committed by the negligent behavior of a large company, harming many people. In a mass tort, each individual victim has an individual claim, but the core of their claim is the same.
Each person has similarly suffered damages at the hands of the same company or person. This group of plaintiffs joins together in a single action against the negligent party. Each plaintiff will seek financial compensation for individual injuries sustained.
A personal injury attorney will provide the best representation to victims because of their extensive legal knowledge on the subject. Law firms that have experience with mass tort will provide a victim with the best possible outcome.
Common causes encompass injuries originating from medical devices, defective drugs, a faulty or dangerous product, or harmful business practices. Mass torts are usually provoked by some event that clearly links between a product and an injury.
Below we dive into the common types of mass torts in detail:
Dangerous Products
Defective products are a very common mass tort subject. Manufacturing companies have a responsibility to their consumers to provide safe products and sufficient information to prevent injury. If injuries are happening on a large scale because of a product, injured consumers can hold these companies responsible for negligence.
There are three types of product liability lawsuits a victim can sue for:
Design Defects- The product design has a defect that makes the product dangerous. The defective condition is not obvious by reasonable inspection.
Manufacturing Defects- The product suffered a defect during the manufacturing process. When enough injuries are reported, the product will be recalled for safety concerns.
Failure to Provide Sufficient Product Instructions or Warnings- Failure to warn a consumer regarding potential dangers. These dangers could lead to injury or death.
A product liability law firm is an expert in handling these types of cases. Helping the Hurt can help you determine if your defective product case has merit, what damages are available, how much money you may be entitled to receive for pain and suffering, medical bills, etc.
Catastrophes
Sometimes man-made disasters will qualify as a mass tort claim. Examples would be a manufacturing plant explosion or a multi-unit apartment fire. Filing these claims separately would take up too much time and resources, which is why it is more efficient to file as a whole. Even though everyone may suffer different types of injuries and have distinct damages, the core of the disaster is the same.
Natural Disasters
Similar to catastrophes, these types of mass torts involve tornadoes or hurricanes and cause substantial injuries and damages. This is a complex type of case because it is a natural disaster, and an individual is not directly responsible. Although, if a specific insurance company fails to pay individual claims, they can be deemed negligent in a mass tort lawsuit.
A mass tort lawyer should be contacted to discuss your options.
Toxic Substance Exposure
This type of mass tort claim deals with illness or injury that stems from exposure to a toxin or a chemical. The victim may have come in contact with the chemical by breathing it in or touching it.
Examples of toxic exposure include:
Toxic Mold Exposure- Can generate respiratory illnesses
Exposure to Asbestos- Can cause mesothelioma, lung cancer, or lung disease
Water or Soil Contamination- As a result of illegal chemical waste dumping or leaks in chemical waste sites
Exposure to Lead Paint- Can cause brain damage, developmental delays in children, and neurological changes
Chemical Exposure- Very common occurrence in certain types of workplace settings
Toxic Landfill Waste- Can cause cancer such as leukemia or respiratory issues
Pesticides- Can cause birth defects, infertility, respiratory problems, and tumors
Defective Medications- When side effects are so severe that they outweigh the benefits of the drug
Dry Cleaning Chemicals- Dry cleaning solvents that can sometimes lead to organ and brain damage
Environmental Exposure- Airborne toxins and gasses
Defective Medical Devices and Drugs
A type of product liability. Medical devices may have a defect that unintentionally harms the patient and keeps the device from fulfilling its purpose. Certain types of drugs may cause unintended side effects that the manufacturer failed to mention to doctors or consumers. Manufacturers can be held liable.
Helping the Hurt's mass tort lawyers work hard for their clients to present the strongest case possible. As a personal injury plaintiff, it is best to be 100% honest throughout the entire discovery process. Keep accurate records of your injuries, medical visits, medical bills, symptoms you experienced and when you experienced them, and any photos that can contribute to the case. The more details you can give your personal injury lawyer, the better.
Keeping up on your medical visits is very important since it affects the amount of compensation you receive. Skipping out on medical appointments can be detrimental to your case. The judge will assume you were not injured or your injuries were minor and healed quicker than they did. If you need to miss work because of any medical appointments or surgeries, that will be part of your claim to damages.
Class action lawsuits are similar to mass tort lawsuits. They both involve a group of individual victims who were harmed by negligent behavior, need to prove wrongdoing, and are represented collectively. Class action lawsuits enable people with comparable damages to seek fair compensation from the same party.
With a class action, everyone is awarded the same financial compensation, whereas, with a mass tort group, each individual is awarded a different amount based on their damages. Mass tort cases take longer to settle than a class action claim because each plaintiff's damage award differs. Class action lawsuits represent people with the same injury or loss, so if the plaintiffs all suffered an assortment of injuries, they may not qualify to file the class action claim. The plaintiffs would have to file a mass torte instead.
Data Breaches
Employment Discrimination
Unfair Wage Claims
Securities Fraud
Price-Fixing
Product Liability
Environmental Contamination
Mass tort plaintiffs are each awarded a specific amount depending on the emotional and financial damages they incurred. Not everyone in the same mass tort lawsuit has sustained the same type or severity of injuries, so they receive a different payout. Each claim is treated as a specific personal injury case suing the same defendant and using the same court resources as the other plaintiffs.
Class action lawsuits, on the other hand, do split their money. The lead plaintiffs will receive more than the class members since the lead plaintiff has the most involvement in the lawsuit.
You will not be permitted to sue the same company again if you lose your mass tort or class action lawsuit. Your personal injury attorney will inform you of your options and let you know your best chance for maximum compensation.
Our personal injury attorneys have many years of combined legal experience with car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, workplace injuries, product liability accidents, medical malpractice, and mass tort cases.
Contact an experienced mass tort litigation attorney today at Helping the Hurt if you believe you have a case. An experienced attorney will know the exact questions to ask to build the strongest case possible. Our injury lawyers are dedicated to helping our clients obtain fair compensation for all injuries caused by negligence.
To schedule a free consultation with one of our lawyers, click the link below for a free consultation and let us get you the maximum compensation you deserve.
