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.
Petrolia (formerly, New Jerusalem and Petrolea) is an unincorporated community in Humboldt County, California. It is located 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Cape Mendocino, at an elevation of 121 feet (37 m). The ZIP Code is 95558. Petrolia has an estimated population of 300-500 people. It is located in the Mattole Valley, also known as the Lost Coast region for its proximity to the Lost Coast Wilderness area, one of the largest wilderness areas and the longest stretch of undeveloped coastline in the continental United States. The Lost Coast is named because of its position on the rocky, treacherous coastline and King Range of mountains that isolate this area from mainland California and continue to leave the area almost completely undeveloped.