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.
Advance (pronounced with the stress on the first syllable) is an unincorporated community located in Davie County, North Carolina. It has a total land area of 62.3 square miles (161 km) and is located along Hwy NC 801 and Hwy 158 just south of Bermuda Run near the western bank of the Yadkin River. Advance is a part of the Piedmont Triad and is home to Shady Grove Elementary School. Neighboring communities and municipalities include: Bermuda Run, Mocksville, Hillsdale, and Yadkin College. The official population of Advance "common" is recognized as 10,762, but the actual population of Advance "proper" is known to be much lower.