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.
Atwater is a city located along U.S. Route 99 in Merced County, California, United States. Atwater is located 8 miles (13 km) west-northwest of Merced, at an elevation of 151 feet (46 m). The population as of August 19, 2006 is 27,972.