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.
Point Arena (formerly, Punta Arenas and Puntas Arenas) is a small coastal city in Mendocino County, California, United States. Point Arena is located 31 miles (50 km) west of Hopland, at an elevation of 118 feet (36 m). The population was 474 at the 2000 census, making it one of the smallest incorporated cities in the state. Its main street comprises part of State Route 1, California's coastal artery. Along with a number of other Mendocino County coastal communities, Point Arena is associated with the hippy and subsequent counterculture groups. Its reported economy is largely geared toward servicing the summertime tourist industry. The town is headquarters of the Manchester Band of Pomo Indians of the Manchester-Point Arena Rancheria.