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.
Spring Valley is an unincorporated community in San Diego County, California. The community includes the neighborhood of La Presa and part of the neighborhood of Casa de Oro (which extends into unincorporated La Mesa). The United States Census Bureau has divided Spring Valley into two census-designated places (CDPs), Spring Valley and La Presa. The population of Spring Valley was 59,384 at the 2000 census. This figure combines the population of the Spring Valley CDP (26,633) and the La Presa CDP (32,721). There are claims that the Greater Spring Valley area has over 100,000 residents although this claims large areas that are actually unincorporated parts of La Mesa and El Cajon. Spring Valley is served by the 91977 and 91978 ZIP codes.