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.
Epworth is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Dubuque, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,428 at the 2000 census, but is now estimated to be 1,589 (2006). Epworth is the now the fifth-largest city in Dubuque County with spacious, new subdivisions housing many new residents, a significant portion of whom work in Dubuque, Iowa or elsewhere outside the community. The 11.3% increase in population from 2000 to 2006 places Epworth above the 90th percentile in population growth among municipalities nationwide. Epworth is home to Divine Word College, which is a Roman Catholic seminary. Also, Western Dubuque High School is in Epworth.