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.
Rochelle is a city in Ogle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 9,424 at the 2000 census. As of the 2005 estimate, the population had risen to 9,712. Rochelle is about 75 miles (121 km) west of Chicago and 25 miles (40 km) south of Rockford. Rochelle is the birthplace and hometown of three-time Academy Award nominee Joan Allen and is also the hometown of young actress Nikki Taylor Melton.