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.
Beecher is a village in Will County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,033 at the 2000 census. It was founded in 1870 and was named for Henry Ward Beecher. Beecher failed to appear at the town's dedication. It was incorporated as a village in 1884. Originally governed by a village president and board of trustees, in 1988 a village administrator was hired to handle daily tasks. The city clerk is an appointed position. It is located on the old Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad and the Dixie Highway. It is located in the center of Washington Township and was originally named Washington Center.