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.
Manassas is an independent city surrounded by Prince William County and the independent city of Manassas Park in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Manassas also surrounds the 38 acre county seat for Prince William County but that county property is not part of the city. Manassas either contains or is close to several important historic sites from the period 1850 - 70. Its population was about 35,135 at the time of the U.S. Census 2000. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Manassas (along with Manassas Park) with Prince William County for statistical purposes. The City of Manassas is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area and it is situated in the Northern Virginia region.