Fair Plain is an unincorporated community in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a census-designated place (CDP) for statistical purposes and has no legal status as a municipality. The population of the CDP was 7,828 at the 2000 census. The Fair Plain CDP consists of the portion of St. Joseph Charter Township lying north of the St. Joseph River and a portion of Benton Charter Township. The CDP's boundaries are the City of Benton Harbor to the north, the St. Joseph River to the west and South, and M-139 to the east. Local spelling of the name is often "Fairplain". Fair Plain was largely an agricultural area with fruit orchards in the 19th and early 20th centuries until it evolved into a residential area. The post-WW II years saw the construction of many homes in Fair Plain and the movement of many families from the nearby City of Benton Harbor to Fair Plain. To this day, many large old farm houses and barns can be found in Fair Plain, primarily on or near Fairplain Avenue and Jakway Avenue. Miami Drive is one of the most prestigious streets in Fair Plain with many large stately homes on large lots overlooking the St. Joseph River. Until the mid-1960s, Fair Plain had its own school district with a Junior High School (7th through 9th grades) and four elementary schools - Fair Plain West, Fair Plain East, Fair Plain Northwest and Fair Plain Northeast. The boundaries between the four elementary schools were the cross-roads of Colfax Avenue and Napier Avenue. Before it was expanded and the four elementary schools built, the Junior High School building was known as Fair Plain Central. The mascot of the Junior High School was the Colt and the school song was "Onward Fair Plain" played to the tune of "On Wisconsin. " In the mid-1960s, the Fair Plain School District, together with others, was consolidated into the School District of the City of Benton Harbor. A notable stately home in Fair Plain is the "Elisha Gray" home on Nickerson Avenue. Fair Plain is also the home of the WHFB-AM/FM radio station on Fairplain Avenue and the Berrien Hills Golf Club on the banks of the St. Joseph River. The Fairplain Plaza, located on M-139 just outside of Fair Plain, was the first shopping center in the area. The original Fairplain Plaza was largely torn down by the late 1990s, but was subsequently rebuilt and expanded in a different format.

What is toxic tort law?

Toxic Tort cases involve people who have been injured through exposure to dangerous pharmaceuticals or chemical substances in the environment, on the job, or in consumer products -- including carcinogenic agents, lead, benzene, silica, harmful solvents, hazardous waste, and pesticides to name a few.

Most toxic tort cases have arisen either from exposure to pharmaceutical drugs or occupational exposures. Most pharmaceutical toxic injury cases are mass tort cases, because drugs are consumed by thousands of people, many of whom become ill from a toxic drug. There have also been many occupational toxic tort cases, because industrial and other workers are often chronically exposed to toxic chemicals - more so than consumers and residents. Most of the law in this area arises from asbestos exposure, but thousands of toxic chemicals are used in industry and workers in these areas can experience a variety of toxic injuries. Unlike the general population, which is exposed to trace amounts of thousands of different chemicals in the environment, industrial workers are regularly exposed to much higher levels of chemicals and therefore have a greater risk of developing disease from particular chemical exposures than the general population. The home has recently become the subject of toxic tort litigation, mostly due to mold contamination, but also due to construction materials such as formaldehyde-treated wood and carpet. Toxic tort cases also arise when people are exposed to consumer products such as pesticides and suffer injury. Lastly, people can also be injured from environmental toxins in the air or in drinking water.

Answers to toxic tort law issues in Wisconsin

In certain kinds of cases, lawyers charge what is called a contingency fee. Instead of billing by the hour, the...

Because of the health problems caused by lead poisoning, the federal Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction...

Property owners may be liable for tenant health problems caused by exposure to environmental hazards, such as...

In general, mass tort cases involve a large number of individual claimants with claims associated with a single...