Class action lawsuits and mass torts are phrases you may be familiar with in regards to personal injury cases, but do you know the difference between the two? While they both deal with companies wronging a large group of people, knowing which one to pursue for your own case is vital to your success.
Mass Tort
A mass tort is an area of personal injury law that involves damages to a large group of people, including product recalls, food and beverage illnesses, and toxic exposure. These types of cases are often highly complex and typically involve hundreds of people, several attorneys and a handful of insurance companies. Essentially, these are a group of individual injury claims filed against the same party.
Class Action Lawsuit
Unlike a mass tort, a class action refers to a single lawsuit from many different plaintiffs with the same type of injury. This is done to reduce the number of lawsuits going to court for the same thing, which is easier and more cost effective for the victims. Class actions typically have a narrower scope than mass torts because they must involve one common injury, but they usually have a larger number of plaintiffs. For example, a class action lawsuit could be filed if a phone manufacturing company created a faulty phone that injured thousands of consumers with hand burns. Learn more about the differences and similarities between mast tort claims and class action lawsuits by contacting our Toledo personal injury attorneys at Williams DeClark Tuschman Co., L.P.A. During the course of our careers, we have recovered over half a billion dollars for our clients in trial cases. We would be happy to review your case at no cost to you and explain to you your options. Call (419) 719-5195 or contact us onlinefor a free consultation.