Mass torts
When the same product harmed a lot of people
A mass tort is many individual claims about one product or exposure, handled together for efficiency. Unlike a class action, your claim stays yours, and it is decided on your own facts and your own injuries.
A mass tort is not a class action
People use the terms interchangeably and they are quite different. In a class action, one outcome binds everybody. In a mass tort, the cases are grouped in front of one judge for pretrial work, but each claim keeps its own facts, its own medical records and its own value.
Most federal mass torts are organised as multidistrict litigation, an MDL. A panel sends cases about one product to a single judge, who handles discovery and a handful of early test trials called bellwethers. Those results tend to shape what happens to everyone else.
Litigations currently accepting new claims
Case counts below are from the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation's pending-MDL report dated 1 September 2026.
| Litigation | What it covers | Where | Pending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talc and ovarian cancer | Long-term use of talcum powder products, linked to ovarian cancer and mesothelioma | MDL 2738, District of New Jersey | ~69,250 |
| Hernia mesh | Polypropylene hernia repair mesh causing chronic pain, infection, migration or revision surgery | MDL 2846, Southern District of Ohio | ~23,316 |
| AFFF firefighting foam | PFAS exposure from firefighting foam, linked to kidney cancer, testicular cancer, thyroid disease and ulcerative colitis | MDL 2873, District of South Carolina | ~15,264 |
| Hair relaxer | Chemical hair straighteners linked to uterine and ovarian cancer and fibroids | MDL 3060, Northern District of Illinois | ~12,129 |
| Paraquat | Herbicide exposure linked to Parkinson's disease | MDL 3004, Southern District of Illinois, plus a large inventory in Philadelphia | ~6,666 |
| Depo-Provera | Injectable contraceptive linked to meningioma requiring surgery or radiation | MDL 3140, Northern District of Florida | ~6,403 |
| Uber passenger assault | Sexual assault of passengers by drivers | MDL 3084, Northern District of California | ~4,588 |
| GLP-1 medications | Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and similar drugs linked to gastroparesis and intestinal obstruction | MDL 3094, Eastern District of Pennsylvania | ~4,022 |
| Bard PowerPort | Implanted port catheters that fractured, migrated or caused infection | MDL 3081, District of Arizona | ~3,734 |
| Social media and adolescents | Platform design linked to adolescent depression, anxiety, eating disorders and self-harm | MDL 3047, Northern District of California, plus a California state proceeding | ~3,208 |
| Firefighter turnout gear | PFAS in protective gear itself, separate from the foam litigation | MDL 3191, District of Minnesota, created August 2026 | New |
| Suboxone | Film formulation linked to severe tooth decay and dental loss | MDL 3092, Northern District of Ohio | ~1,827 |
| Preterm infant formula | Cow's-milk-based preterm formula linked to necrotizing enterocolitis in premature infants | MDL 3026, Northern District of Illinois | ~847 |
Being listed here means the litigation exists and is receiving filings. It does not mean you have a claim, that any particular injury qualifies, or that any payment will result. Many of these have not reached trial. Eligibility turns on documented exposure, a documented diagnosis, and deadlines that vary by state.
Litigations you may still see advertised that have closed
Advertising outlives litigation. Two you are likely to encounter are no longer open to new claimants, and we would rather tell you than let you sit on hold.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act required an administrative claim to be filed with the Navy by 10 August 2024. That statutory window has closed. People who filed before the deadline still have live claims; new claimants cannot enter.
Resolved through a global settlement, with the MDL showing no pending cases as of September 2026. Firms are not taking new earplug claims.
You may also see heavy advertising for ultra-processed foods. As of September 2026 there is no MDL and an early case was dismissed, so any advertised settlement figures for it are speculation.
What generally matters for eligibility
- Proof you used or were exposed to the product, which is usually the hardest part. Prescription records, purchase history, employment or service records, implant records.
- A diagnosis that matches the litigation, documented by a doctor. Not symptoms, a diagnosis.
- Timing. Mass torts are still governed by each state's statute of limitations, which in many cases runs from the date of diagnosis rather than the date of exposure.
Why these matter in Texas, New Jersey and Pennsylvania
Each of these states has its own concentration:
- New Jersey is where the talc litigation itself sits, in the District of New Jersey, and the state has some of the most heavily documented PFAS contamination in the country, including Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and the Chambers Works and West Deptford sites.
- Pennsylvania hosts the GLP-1 litigation in the Eastern District, and the Willow Grove and Warminster naval air sites in Bucks and Montgomery Counties are among the best-known PFAS clusters in the United States.
- Texas has large firefighter populations, military and airport fire training sites, and industrial fire brigades along the Gulf Coast, along with substantial agricultural paraquat use.
It is not legal advice, not a case evaluation, and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Whether any litigation applies to you depends on facts we do not have.