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.
Woody (formerly, Weringdale) is an unincorporated community in Kern County, California. It is located 25 miles (40 km) north-northeast of Bakersfield, at an elevation of 1654 feet (504 m). Woody was founded in 1889, and was named after Dr. Sparrell Walter Woody, who was a pioneer in the area. The first post office at Woody also opened in 1889. In 1891, Joseph Weringer laid out the town, then called Weringdale, but the name quickly reverted to Woody. Woody is mostly a ranch town, even though the ranches of Woody, lie usually a few miles out of town. At the "outskirts" of town is the Blue Mountain Graveyard. Across from the graveyard is the fire department. About one hundred yards west of the fire department, is a post office. In the town there is also an elementary school and a community hall, where the Woody residents have gatherings and events. There used to be a restaurant/ bar in Woody, but financial problems caused it to close. Woody has been influenced by the nearby Blue Mountain. Blue Mountain at one time had a gold mine. Then bad times hit the mine and the owners sold out to the government, who dynamited the inside of the mine and sealed off the entrance. It has been rumored that the outlaw Joaquin Murrieta once had a cave/ hideout, that he used while on the run, however nobody has been able to find it, so it is just an "rural" legend.