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.
Highlands is an incorporated town in Macon and Jackson counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located on a plateau in the southern Appalachian mountains, within the Nantahala National Forest, it lies mostly in southeastern Macon and slightly in southwestern Jackson counties, in the Highlands and Cashiers (pronounced "cashers") townships, respectively. The permanent population was 909 at the 2000 census. The population swells to 10,000-15,000 during the season from spring to fall.