A mass tort is a civil action involving numerous plaintiffs against one or a few corporate defendants. The tort may involve, for example, personal injuries suffered by numerous plaintiffs as a result of a defective product, or a mass disaster in which there were many injured persons, such as an airplane crash, or exposure of a large group of people to toxic chemicals or pharmaceuticals.
Mentone is a town in DeKalb County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 451. Mentone is home to many private summer camps, including Camp Desoto for girls, Camp Laney for boys, Alpine Camp for boys, Camp Skyline Ranch for girls, Lookout Mountain Camp for boys, and others. During the summer, the population more than doubles. During the winter it is famous for being the only place with snow skiing in Alabama, at Cloudmont Ski and Golf Resort. In April 2003, it was the town nearest to the epicenter of a magnitude 4.6 earthquake. The surprise quake alarmed residents in the dark hours of the morning and was felt across several states, but caused no injuries and only minor damage even in the town. Mentone is in the ridge and valley region of the far southwestern Appalachian Mountains, an area that generally goes several decades between significant earthquakes, and has never had a major one in recorded history.