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.
As of December 3, 2009 Mattawa officially became a non-charter code city in Grant County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,609 at the 2000 census. An estimated population exists between 4500-6500 residents during peak fruit picking/agricultural season(s) and subsides by approximately 2000 residents during non-picking seasons.