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.
Orefield is a small unincorporated community in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, United States, split between North Whitehall and South Whitehall township. Located along Pennsylvania Route 309, Orefield has the zip code of 18069. Its name is derived from the extensive deposits of limonite once mined here. Orefield is the former home to Parkland High School. It is a part of the Lehigh Valley and is only a few miles outside of Allentown. It is surrounded by many suburban housing developments many of which were former farms operated by the Pennsylvania Dutch whose influence in the community is waning. There are many covered bridges nearby which cross the Jordan Creek. Located near Orefield is a large factory for Alpo Dog Food, which has been owned by the Ralston Purina Company since the 1990s. Also located nearby are the Jaindl turkey farms, which provide the turkey for the White House on many Thanksgivings. Located in Orefield is Shankweiler's Drive-In, the second drive-in ever built (1934) and America's oldest operating drive-in theater, whose entrance is guarded by two ornamental white lions. Notable resident Brant Weidner, a former basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs, grew up in Orefield.