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.
Duarte is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 21,486. The name of the city is pronounced "dwohr'-dee" by most locals, or often the Spanish pronunciation "doo-ahr'-teh" is used. Newscasters and others unfamiliar with the area generally say "doo-wahr'-tay. " It is bounded to the north by the San Gabriel Mountains, to the north and west by the cities of Bradbury and Monrovia, to the south by the city of Irwindale, and to the east by the cities of Irwindale and Azusa. Duarte is located on historic U.S. Route 66 which today follows Huntington Drive through the middle of the city. For the past 14 years, Duarte has held an annual Salute to Route 66 Parade on the third weekend in September on Huntington Drive (part of the Historic U.S. Route 66). Zac Sunderland was Grand Marshal of the parade in 2009.