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.
Emerald Isle is a town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the Crystal Coast and is located entirely on the Bogue Banks. The population was 3,488 at the 2000 census, but as many as 50,000 visitors inhabit the area during the summer season, filling up vacant rental properties that do not count toward official census results. Today, the oceanfront is lined with both large and small homes. While there is a scattering of condominiums, there are no oceanfront hotels, and Emerald Isle has maintained a family-oriented atmosphere. Recent beach renourishment projects in North Carolina, including Emerald Isle, have been both praised and questioned.