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.
Emmitsburg was founded in 1785 and is in Frederick County, Maryland, United States, just south of the Mason-Dixon line separating Maryland from Pennsylvania. Emmitsburg's population was 2,290 at the 2000 census. It is the home of Mount St. Mary's University. The National Emergency Training Center, The National Fallen FireFighter's Memorial and Emergency Management Institute are also located in Emmitsburg on the former campus of St. Joseph's College. The current mayor of Emmitsburg is James E. "Jim" Hoover.