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.
Colchester is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 14,551 at the 2000 census. In 2005, it was ranked 57th on the "100 Best Places to Live", conducted by CNN. Colchester is one of the fastest growing towns in Connecticut. The villages of Westchester and North Westchester are located within Colchester, as is the reservation of the Golden Hill Paugussett Indian Nation. The Colchester Historical Society operates a local history museum in town.