Philadelphia Mass Tort Lawyers

Mass Tort Lawsuit Attorneys in Philadelphia, PA, Fight for People Harmed by Consumer Products, Medical Devices, and Pharmaceutical Drugs Throughout Philly and Nationwide

Sometimes, one entity’s negligence is enough to harm dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of people. In these situations, each individual injured by the company can seek compensation for the harm they have suffered through mass tort litigation. The Philadelphia mass tort lawyers at Anapol Weiss are known nationwide for our extensive work securing mass tort settlements on behalf of the injured.

Why Choose Anapol Weiss for Mass Torts in Philadelphia

To assist you with a mass tort case, you want seasoned professionals on your side. Anapol Weiss’s mass tort lawsuit attorneys in Philadelphia, PA, have a long history of holding organizations accountable and fighting for the injured, especially victims of the widespread harm that the defendants in mass tort cases have inflicted upon the innocent.

With more than 40 years of experience in legal practice and a constant commitment to giving our clients a voice and securing them maximum compensation, Anapol Weiss is prepared for the challenges of mass tort cases of all kinds.

What Is Mass Tort Litigation?

Tort litigation refers to the legal process of filing a lawsuit over one’s harms or losses. Through this civil process, the injured can hold accountable the negligent parties that harmed them. Personal injury claims are common types of tort litigation through which you can seek financial compensation for an injury from the defendant or the party that harmed you and, in many cases, their insurance company.

In most personal injury claims, one plaintiff or a small number of plaintiffs are seeking compensation from one or more defendants.

A mass tort lawsuit is litigation that involves a large number of people all harmed by the same defendant or defendants through the same or similar mechanism. Often, mass tort litigation arises out of dangerous or defective drugs, consumer products, workplace equipment, or vehicle components. Mass torts can be brought in state or federal courts.

When a case becomes mass tort litigation, the separate lawsuits individuals have filed are consolidated into one legal action. These complex claims require the skillful handling of experienced Philadelphia mass tort lawyers like Anapol Weiss.

Filing a Mass Tort Action

Mass tort litigation can begin with just a few individual claims for compensation filed by individuals who were harmed in a similar fashion by the same defendants. More and more individuals file similar claims, often encouraged by the news that people facing similar circumstances have taken action to hold the defendant accountable.

To turn these individual claims into mass tort litigation, the lawyers of the plaintiffs have to ask the court for permission to file a mass tort action.

Permission to file a mass tort action isn’t a given. Judges will review the request and consider factors like the following in determining whether to allow this move:

• The number of plaintiffs
• The location of the plaintiffs in relation to each other
• The similarities between plaintiffs’ injuries
• Whether a common cause exists among the plaintiffs’ individual claims

If the court grants the case in question the status of a mass tort action, the judge will quickly assign the case. Other plaintiffs can continue to file new claims and join the mass tort lawsuit.

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How Mass Torts Are Different Than Other Lawsuits

The goal of mass tort litigation, like other types of personal injury claims, is to recover maximum compensation for the injured plaintiffs. Still, there are significant differences between mass torts and individual personal injury claims.

1. Claim volume: Mass tort litigation can be filed when a single device or product, or one type of device or product, generates numerous claims of harm made by numerous people.
2. Similar facts: If you look at car accidents, slip and falls, or matters of medical malpractice, the specific facts of each case are unique. The defendants cause harm to different plaintiffs in different ways. In a mass tort lawsuit, harm the defendant is alleged to have caused plaintiffs typically occurs in similar, if not the same, ways. Exposure to dangerous chemicals or malfunctions in consumer products may cause a relatively narrow set of injuries through the same basic mechanisms.
3. Building upon each other: Think of the differing claims in mass tort lawsuits as separate building blocks that, together, make up a strong case. These claims rely on each other.

When you have been harmed by someone else’s negligence, you deserve not only financial compensation but also trusted guidance as to how to proceed with your case. Anapol Weiss is known for getting impressive results for both mass tort and individual personal injury claims. You can count on our seasoned attorneys to review the facts of your claim and help you understand all legal options available to you and their advantages and disadvantages.

Mass Torts vs. Class Action Claims

Mass torts aren’t the only kind of litigation that brings together many claims against the same defendant. These cases bear some similarities to class action claims, legal actions that represent a “class,” or group, of people. The main distinction between a mass tort and a class action claim is that each plaintiff’s mass tort case remains its own individual claim, while a class action claim leads to one trial and one settlement or award to be split between the entire class of plaintiffs.

Mass Torts and Multidistrict Litigation

Particularly large mass tort cases may be consolidated in federal courts as multidistrict litigation, or MDLs, to move the process along more efficiently. In MDLs, the discovery process for all cases is consolidated, allowing for greater efficiency and sharing of resources. Attorneys and plaintiffs argue bellwether cases, which serve as example cases for all claims in the MDL, in front of a single federal court judge. However, cases remain individual claims for the purpose of awarding damages that fit each plaintiff’s losses.

Pros and Cons of a Mass Torts Lawsuit

Bringing hundreds or even thousands of individual lawsuits that share defendants, causes of action, and types of harm through the litigation process can take a great deal of time and expense. Organizing a large group of plaintiffs and claims into mass tort litigation can make legal action considerably more efficient and cost-effective.

Additionally, each individual claim involved in the mass tort builds up the case as a whole, demonstrating to the court the effects of the defective product. As a plaintiff involved in a mass tort lawsuit, you may have a smaller role in the litigation process than if you were pursuing an individual claim, although regardless, your attorneys will handle the lawsuit for you.

In mass tort cases, unlike class action claims, your attorney will still seek a settlement or award that compensates you for the full amount of your unique damages rather than just assigning you a portion of one class-wide settlement. This means you don't have to give up the opportunity to seek compensation for the full amount of your damages in exchange for the convenience of consolidation into mass tort litigation.

Despite these advantages, mass tort cases can be challenging. Going through this volume of information still takes time, even when cases are consolidated. If you have questions about the complicated process, the Philadelphia mass tort lawyers at Anapol Weiss can help you understand what to expect from the litigation process.

Common Types of Mass Tort Cases

Because mass tort litigation requires certain elements, not all types of cases lend themselves to mass tort claims. Most commonly, mass tort claims are lawsuits that concern pharmaceutical drugs and various types of consumer products. In some cases, mass torts may also arise out of institutional abuse situations and environmental chemical exposures.

Pharmaceutical Claims

Both prescription and over-the-counter medications have formed the basis of pharmaceutical mass tort claims. Medical devices that turn out to be defective, as well, can give rise to claims against manufacturers.

Product Liability Claims

Defective products of other kinds can also prove dangerous. Manufacturers of a consumer product that causes harm due to malfunctions or acting in ways a consumer wouldn’t expect can be held accountable for the consequences. Liability may also extend to designers, distributors, retailers, and potentially others in the distribution chain. Common types of product liability mass tort claims include:

• Motor vehicles and auto parts
• Beauty and personal care products
• Household appliances
• Children’s toys
• Widely used chemicals

Proving negligence on the part of a product manufacturer and establishing how that negligence caused your injuries is challenging. Having our experienced Philadelphia mass tort lawyers on your side gives you an advantage. Anapol Weiss has a long history of securing results for our clients through meticulous investigations, aggressive representation, and strong legal strategies.

Mass Torts Anapol Weiss Can Handle for You

At Anapol Weiss, our Philadelphia mass tort lawyers handle a variety of large-scale litigation. The mass torts we are currently handling change as new harms become apparent and established litigation reaches its resolutions.

The types of mass tort lawsuits we are currently handling include:

• 3M military earplug lawsuits: If you or a loved one suffered injury due to these defective 3M earplugs, please contact Anapol Weiss in Philadelphia immediately to discuss your legal options. We are currently pursuing lawsuits against 3M to seek compensation for service members who have been injured due to their use.
• Chemical hair relaxer litigation: Multiple chemical hair relaxer products under different brands and manufacturers have been sued by consumers who believe their uterine cancer, breast cancer, or ovarian cancer resulted from exposure to the chemicals during use.
• Juul vaping e-cigarette lawsuits: Vaping has been linked to numerous types of harm, including health conditions and burns due to e-cigarette explosions. Injured consumers may be able to hold e-cigarette companies like Juul accountable for these harms.
• Baby powder lawsuits: Talcum powder lawsuits seek to hold baby powder manufacturers accountable for harm, such as ovarian cancer and mesothelioma, attributed to the use of talc-based powder.
• NEC baby formula lawsuits: Through these lawsuits, families of premature babies seek to hold manufacturers like Similac and Enfamil accountable for necrotizing enterocolitis, a dangerous condition linked to cow’s milk-based infant formulas and fortifiers.
• Environmental toxins: Both naturally occurring and non-natural toxins, such as lead, formaldehyde, mercury, cadmium, and benzene, can contribute to the development of environmental illnesses, including cancer and birth defects.
• Mesothelioma exposure lawsuits: Mesothelioma is a rare but aggressive type of cancer linked to exposure to asbestos fibers. Asbestos litigation is both the longest-running mass tort in the nation and one of the largest mass tort lawsuits in history.
• Defective hip replacement claims: When design or manufacturing defects cause hip replacement implants to fail, patients who have undergone surgery to insert these implants suffer and may require additional surgeries or other treatments. Numerous hip replacement implants from different medical device companies have been recalled.
• Defective knee replacement lawsuits: Likewise, failures of knee replacement implants by multiple companies, including Exactech, have given rise to lawsuits against manufacturers.
• Transvaginal mesh and Y mesh medical device lawsuits: Surgical mesh implants used to treat pelvic organ prolapse in women have been linked to complications that include chronic pain and the need for additional surgeries.
• Tepezza hearing loss pharmaceutical injury lawsuit: The medication Tepezza, used to treat thyroid eye disease, has been linked to hearing loss, tinnitus, and deafness.
• Vaccine injury claims: Vaccine injuries are rare but can be serious. Our Philadelphia mass tort lawyers are prepared to seek the compensation you deserve through the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.

Get Started With a Free Consultation With Anapol Weiss’s Philadelphia Mass Tort Lawyers

Your success in these cases hinges on having qualified mass tort lawsuit attorneys in Philadelphia, PA, fighting for you. At Anapol Weiss, we take pride in establishing strong attorney-client relationships and holding defendants responsible for the consequences of their negligence. As your dedicated mass tort attorneys, we’re ready to provide the legal advice and professional guidance you need to take the next steps on the path to receiving compensation for your injuries.