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.
East Dubuque is a city in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,995 at the 2000 census. East Dubuque is located alongside the Mississippi River. Across the river is the city of Dubuque, Iowa. About three miles north of the city is the Illinois - Wisconsin border. East Dubuque was originally known as Dunleith. The main roads in East Dubuque are Sinsinawa Avenue and U.S. Route 20 (Wall Street). The Julien Dubuque Bridge serves as the connection between East Dubuque and Dubuque. Illinois Route 35 serves as the primary connection between East Dubuque and Wisconsin. The community is known for the number of bars located along Sinsinawa Ave. These establishments are quite popular during the weekend because East Dubuque's mandatory closing time for bars - 3:30am - is later than that of Dubuque's. This does lead to problems with public intoxication, drunk driving, and related disturbances. Additional law enforcement is usually assigned to patrol that part of the city. The city has announced that it is making bars close earlier. In general the business community has opposed this as they claim that a large percentage of their revenue comes in after midnight. At one time, the Silver Eagle Casino was located in East Dubuque. The casino eventually went bankrupt because of competition from riverboat and land based operations in Dubuque. The Silver Eagle's casino license was given to another operation. The city council is considering asking the state to allow for another casino operation to be located in East Dubuque. The Silver Eagle's dockside facilities were eventually purchased by a local man and turned into an events center for parties and meetings. Because of the proximity of East Dubuque to the Mississippi river, the city has at times flooded, particularly in the low lying areas near the river.