Most of the time, personal injury lawsuits involve an injured person seeking compensation from someone whose carelessness or mistakes directly led to their injuries. Sometimes, though, the misconduct of an individual, company, or corporation can cause large numbers of people to suffer injuries in similar ways. All those people have very similar reasons to make personal injury claims.
In this situation, it may be advantageous for the injured people to pool their resources and pursue what is known as a mass tort claim together. This is often more efficient for the civil court system, too. Starting or joining a mass tort claim can be tricky without a skilled attorney’s support. Contacting a Murfreesboro mass torts lawyer should be your top priority if you want to explore this option for pursuing compensation.
Although you might be unfamiliar with mass torts, you may have heard of a related type of claim, the class action lawsuit. What makes a class action different from a mass tort claim is that a class action consolidates every injured individual into a single class of people seeking one big settlement or damage award. If the lawsuit is successful, they will split the money among themselves.
In mass tort claims, individuals with similar reasons to sue a company or corporation share resources and evidence with one another, but maintain their own distinct cases throughout the legal process. As our attorneys in Murfreesboro can further explain, a mass tort lawsuit allows different injury victims with different needs to seek different amounts of compensation for their losses. Each individual has to separately establish fault for their injuries without directly referring to the other victims’ cases.
Most mass tort claims filed in Tennessee and other parts of the country involve multiple people taking legal action against a company or corporation that harmed all of them in broadly the same way. Mass tort claims often center around product liability laws, especially those governing the manufacture, testing, and distribution of medications.
Another reason a group of people may pursue a mass tort claim is if their current or former employer subjected them to unreasonably dangerous working conditions or failed to provide proper protective equipment when they were working with hazardous materials. Likewise, a lawyer from our Murfreesboro team who handles mass tort cases can help hold a local, state, or federal government entity liable for failing to protect residents of your area from exposure to toxic factory byproducts or other environmental hazards. A more recent phenomena that can lead to a mass tort case is social media addiction.
In some ways, mass tort lawsuits work exactly the same way as regular personal injury lawsuits. In other ways, mass torts are uniquely complex and challenging cases. Even the most well-prepared person would likely have trouble pursuing a mass tort lawsuit on their own.
If this type of claim is the most logical way for you to seek compensation for your injuries, Ponce Law can help. If you retain a Murfreesboro mass torts lawyer from our team, we will fight for your rights and aggressively pursue justice for you. Call today to schedule a free consultation with one of our attorneys.
