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.
Pekin is a city in Tazewell County, Illinois. Located on the Illinois River, it is the county seat and largest city of Tazewell County, and a key part of the Peoria metropolitan area. As of the 2000 census, its population is 33,857. Pekin has a large park with a lagoon, Mineral Springs Park, located near Pekin Hospital and a senior center. Pekin is home to a high-rise residential facility of the United Auto Workers. It is the home of the minimum-security Pekin Federal Correctional Institution. A regional insurance company, Pekin Insurance, has its home office in Pekin.