Mass Tort Litigation Lawyers

Mass Tort: Many Cases Tried Separately

One company may have harmed many people, but sometimes the circumstances make a class action inappropriate. These kinds of cases – which sometimes involve hundreds or thousands of individual cases – are called mass tort cases. Mass tort cases must be tried separately. But, in the interest of efficiency and justice, thousands of lawsuits can be coordinated through a single court, through what is known as multi-district litigation (MDL).

Mass Tort Litigation Attorneys

The trial attorneys at Gray, Ritter & Graham in St. Louis have been the lead attorneys on class action litigation as well as mass tort MDL cases.

• When rice farmers, without their knowledge, were sold contaminated seed, the European Community (EU) would not import genetically modified rice. Other parts of the world followed the EU’s lead. Prices plummeted. To make matters worse, a new crop could not be planted on those fields. The damage to each of 6,000 farmers varied by the amount of land planted. The cases were tried separately as mass tort litigation. GRG was appointed co-lead counsel for the St. Louis district.
• An example of a mass tort is the thousands of Vioxx lawsuits filed against the Merck & Co. The lawsuits are based on heart attack and stroke injuries. Each patient’s injuries are unique, and many were tried in multi-district litigation. After a number of Merck MDL trials, lawyers saw how juries reacted to the evidence, and Merck made a global settlement covering all lawsuits against Vioxx. Individuals still had the right to sue, however.

Experience, careful organization and leadership are necessary in mass torts.

Bellwether mass tort cases can set the tone and results for negotiations and settlements. Our litigation attorneys are known for their ability to lead mass tort cases.

If you have been harmed by a company’s actions or if you have a client who has been harmed, call and ask us to review the case. Contact us as soon as possible so that we can evaluate the case and begin our investigation. We represent clients in Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas and, in some cases, nationwide.