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.
Gasquet - pronounced (GAS-kee), and formerly spelled Guasquet - is an unincorporated community 22 mi (35 km) southwest of the Oregon border in Del Norte County, California, and 18 miles (29 km) northeast of Crescent City, with a population of 515. It lies at an elevation of 381 feet. The ZIP Code is 95543. Its area code is 707. Gasquet is located in the Smith River National Recreation Area and is reputed to be the rainiest place in California with an average annual rainfall of 90 inches. A post office operated at Gasquet from 1879 to 1902 and from 1949 to present. The name is in honor of Horace Gasquet, its first postmaster.