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.
Old Chatham is a hamlet in the northeast quadrant of the township of Chatham, located in Columbia County, New York. It is one of the earliest settlements in the township and was originally named Chatham. The center of Old Chatham is marked by a few businesses around the intersection of the Albany Turnpike and County Rt. 13. There is the United States Post Office for area code 12136, the Old Chatham Country Store (which includes a cafe/restaurant), and Jackson's Old Chatham House (another restaurant). Also in Old Chatham is the Old Chatham Sheepherding Company and the Shaker Museum.