# Mass Tort

> A civil action where many plaintiffs sue one or a few defendants for similar harms caused by the same product, drug, or exposure.

**Category:** Legal Procedure
**Canonical URL:** https://drugsmonitor.com/glossary/mass-tort
**Last updated:** 2026-06-11

Mass torts differ from class actions because each plaintiff's injuries and damages are individualized rather than common to the entire group. This makes mass torts more suitable for pharmaceutical injury cases where medical histories vary widely.

Mass torts can be litigated through MDL consolidation in federal court, coordinated state proceedings, or individual lawsuits. Most large pharmaceutical mass torts today proceed as MDLs.

The term mass tort encompasses both federal MDL cases and state-level coordinated proceedings. Some state courts use mechanisms like coordinated dockets or bellwether trials similar to federal MDLs.

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*Glossary entry from DrugsMonitor.com.*