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.
Pine Island is a city in Goodhue and Olmsted counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 2,337 at the 2000 census. Most of Pine Island is in Goodhue County, but a small part extends into Olmsted County. The community has a strong agricultural base, but has been transitioning over time into a bedroom community for nearby Rochester which employs many local residents. The small town was temporarily thrown into the national spotlight in 2002 for having been the home town of the Midwest pipe bomber Luke Helder.