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.
Atherton is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States. Its population was 7,194 at the 2000 census. It is one of the wealthiest cities in the United States.