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.
Waynesboro, deriving its name from General Anthony Wayne, is an independent city located within the confines of Augusta County in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 19,520 at the 2000 census, and estimated at 21,454 for 2006. It is located in the Shenandoah Valley, near many important historical markers of the Civil War and Shenandoah National Park. A portion of Interstate 64 falls within the city limits of Waynesboro, and the Blue Ridge Parkway, Skyline Drive, and the Appalachian Trail are less than five miles away. The town is perhaps best known for being the home of P. Buckley Moss and the P. Buckley Moss Museum, which attracts 45,000 visitors annually. A large DuPont plant and the associated Benger Laboratory where Lycra was invented, as well as a large textile mill called Wayn-Tex (now owned by Mohawk Industries), were significant employers for residents through much of the 20th century. Waynesboro is home to the corporate headquarters of Ntelos. Tourism, industrial production, and retail remain vital to the Waynesboro economy. The Generals of the Valley Baseball League play there. Waynesboro is a principal city of the Staunton-Waynesboro micropolitan area, which includes all of Augusta County and the independent cities of Staunton and Waynesboro.