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.
Fostoria is a city in Hancock, Seneca, and Wood counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is approximately 40 miles south of Toledo and 90 miles north of Columbus. The population was 13,931 at the 2000 census. The city is named for Charles Foster, the 35th governor of Ohio and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under Benjamin Harrison. Fostoria is known for its glass heritage and railroading: two CSX main lines and one NS main line intersect in downtown Fostoria, an area called the "Iron Triangle" by railfans. Originally there were 5 railroads that serviced the city. They were meant to service glass companies that were located in the city. The city of Fostoria is raising funds to build a railroad park inside the "Iron Triangle" for railroading fans to view trains. As noted above, Fostoria is in 3 different counties, making it among the small number of US cities to share this characteristic.