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.
Steubenville is a city located along the Ohio River in Jefferson County, Ohio on the Ohio-West Virginia border in the United States. It is the political county seat of Jefferson County and is sometimes considered part of the Pittsburgh Tri-State area, unofficially as a suburb. It is also a principal city of the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 19,329. Steubenville is called the City of Murals because more than 25 murals can be found in the downtown area. It is the home of Franciscan University of Steubenville, Eastern Gateway Community College (formerly Jefferson Community College), and Old Fort Steuben. During its heyday in the period of the 1940s-60s, Steubenville was popularly known as "Little Chicago," a nickname that, on the one hand, evoked the city's prolific industry and downtown bustle, while on the other hand suggesting Steubenville's reputation for crime, gambling, and corruption. It is the birthplace of legendary singer and actor Dean Martin, actress, producer and director Traci Lords, television commentator and oddsmaker Jimmy the Greek, Snyder and Hall of Fame baseball pitcher Rollie Fingers.