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.
Norton is an independent city within the confines of Wise County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 3,904, making it the smallest city in the state by population. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Norton with surrounding Wise County for statistical purposes.