What is the difference between a mass tort and a class action?

In a class action, one consolidated lawsuit is brought on behalf of a class of similarly situated plaintiffs and one judgment or settlement fund covers the entire class. In a mass tort, many individual lawsuits are coordinated for pretrial proceedings (usually as a federal MDL) but each plaintiff keeps their own case and their own damages. Mass tort payouts vary dramatically by individual injury, while class action payouts are usually flat or tier-based.

Do I need a lawyer to join a mass tort?

Yes. Mass tort cases are individual lawsuits, so you need a plaintiffs' attorney to file your case and represent you in pretrial proceedings (and at trial if your case is selected as a bellwether or proceeds individually). Most mass tort firms work on contingency, which means there are no upfront fees and the firm is paid only if you recover compensation.

How much does it cost to file a mass tort claim?

Nothing upfront. Mass tort plaintiffs' firms work on contingency: you pay no out-of-pocket legal fees, and the firm is paid only as a percentage of any recovery. Free case reviews are standard.

How long do mass tort cases take?

Mass torts typically take several years from filing to resolution because of the volume of cases and the bellwether trial process. Each individual case must establish causation and damages, so timelines vary by case complexity and by whether the defendant offers a global settlement, settles bellwether cases, or chooses to try cases individually.

Updated June 2026 · Reviewed Daily

Mass Tort Lawsuits Accepting New Cases in 2026

Active mass tort MDLs and personal-injury lawsuits accepting new plaintiffs — covering defective drugs, medical devices, toxic exposure, sexual assault and abuse, social media and video game addiction harm to minors, wildfire injury, and more. Unlike class actions, mass torts are individual lawsuits coordinated for pretrial — each plaintiff keeps their own case and their own damages. Free case review on every card.

— Open Lawsuits

$0 Cost to File

2 min Free Case Review

50 U.S. States Covered

Contingency — no fee unless you recover Individual damages, not class-wide flat payouts Updated as new MDLs are filed

Earlier stage Class Action Investigations Pre-MDL investigations and lawyer pre-screening pages — cases that haven't been consolidated yet but are accepting plaintiff intake. Later stage Open Class Action Settlements Class action settlements currently accepting claims. Single-fund pro-rata or tier-based payouts — not individual mass-tort damages.

Social media addiction harm to minors

Coordinated personal-injury claims tied to platform features alleged to cause compulsive use, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and self-harm in minors. MDL 3047 (N.D. Cal.) + JCCP 5255 (Los Angeles).

Social Media MDL

TCPA spam text & consumer torts (mass-tort intake)

Per-violation TCPA claims and consumer-protection intake. Different from class-action TCPA settlements — these run as individual arbitration or individual statutory-damages cases.

TCPA Mass Tort

WA Referral Text Settlement — Dapeer Law Intake

Status: Open · Washington State residents who received unwanted referral spam texts from any app or service · Per-text statutory damages

Drug injury & pharmaceutical MDLs

Active personal-injury MDLs against drug manufacturers. Pharmacy receipts, EOB statements, or medical records typically establish use; injury must be diagnosed by a treating physician.

Drug Injury

Tylenol Autism / ADHD Lawsuit — Prenatal Acetaminophen Exposure

Status: Open · Mothers who took acetaminophen during pregnancy · Child later diagnosed with autism or ADHD · MDL 3043 (S.D.N.Y.)

Zantac (Ranitidine) Cancer Lawsuit — $2.2B GSK Settlement Plus Other Manufacturers

Settlement Reached

Drug Injury

Zantac (Ranitidine) Cancer Lawsuit — $2.2B GSK Settlement Plus Other Manufacturers

Status: Open · Long-term brand OTC Zantac users diagnosed with bladder, esophageal, liver, pancreatic, or stomach cancer

Drug Injury

Depo-Provera Brain Tumor Lawsuit — Meningioma Claims

Status: Open · Pfizer Depo-Provera users diagnosed with meningioma brain tumor · MDL 3140 (N.D. Cal.)

Drug Injury

Paraquat Weed Killer — Parkinson’s Disease Lawsuit

Status: Open · Agricultural workers, applicators, or rural residents diagnosed with Parkinson’s after paraquat exposure · MDL 3004 (S.D. Ill.)

Drug Injury

Ozempic / Wegovy / Mounjaro Gastroparesis Lawsuit — Stomach Paralysis Claims

Status: Open · GLP-1 weight-loss-drug users diagnosed with gastroparesis or severe gastrointestinal injury · MDL 3094 (E.D. Pa.)

Drug Injury

Suboxone Tooth Decay Lawsuit — Dental Injury Claims

Status: Open · Suboxone film users with severe dental injuries · MDL 3092 (N.D. Ohio)

Drug Injury

Belviq (Lorcaserin) Weight-Loss Drug Cancer Lawsuit

Status: Open · Belviq users diagnosed with lung, colorectal, pancreatic, or other cancers · Recalled February 2020

Medical device MDLs

Defective implants, monitoring devices, and respiratory equipment. Implant identifier card or device serial number plus medical records typically establish use and injury.

Medical Device

Bard PowerPort Catheter Lawsuit — Fracture & Migration Injury Claims

Status: Open · Bard PowerPort recipients with catheter fracture, migration, infection, or thrombosis · MDL 3081 (D. Ariz.)

Philips Respironics CPAP / BiPAP Recall — $479M Settlement

Settlement Reached

Medical Device

Philips Respironics CPAP / BiPAP Recall — $479M Settlement

Status: Open · Philips CPAP / BiPAP / ventilator users from the 2021 recall · Foam-related injury claims · MDL 3014 (W.D. Pa.)

FreeStyle Libre Continuous Glucose Monitor Lawsuit — Inaccurate Readings & DKA Claims

Investigating

Medical Device

FreeStyle Libre Continuous Glucose Monitor Lawsuit — Inaccurate Readings & DKA Claims

Status: Open · FreeStyle Libre 1, 2, or 3 users who experienced hypoglycemia, DKA, or hospitalization from inaccurate readings

Consumer product injury MDLs

Personal-care products, dietary products, and consumer chemicals linked to long-term injury. Purchase records help but are rarely strictly required — medical records carry most claims.

Consumer Product

Hair Straightener / Chemical Relaxer Uterine Cancer Lawsuit

Status: Open · Long-term users of chemical hair relaxers diagnosed with uterine cancer, endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer, fibroids, or endometriosis · MDL 3060 (N.D. Ill.)

Consumer Product

Talcum Powder Ovarian Cancer & Mesothelioma Lawsuit

Status: Active MDL — intake review · Long-term talcum powder users diagnosed with ovarian cancer or mesothelioma · MDL 2738 (D.N.J.) · No public settlement claim form

JUUL Vaping Injury Lawsuit — $300M+ Settlements

Settlement Reached

Consumer Product

JUUL Vaping Injury Lawsuit — $300M+ Settlements

Status: Open · JUUL users with nicotine addiction, lung injury, or cardiovascular harm · Multiple resolution tracks; $300M+ to consumers and states

JUUL Labs $300M Consumer Settlement Coverage

Settlement Reached

Consumer Product

JUUL Labs $300M Consumer Settlement Coverage

Status: Open · Consumers reporting payouts from JUUL Labs settlement · OCA reader case-study coverage

Consumer Product

Enfamil / Similac NEC Baby Formula Lawsuit

Status: Active · Premature infants fed cow’s-milk-based Enfamil or Similac formula who developed necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) · MDL 3026 (N.D. Ill.) · next bellwether trial July 6, 2026

Consumer Product

Dry Shampoo Benzene Contamination Lawsuit — $850K IGK + Other Brands

Status: Open · Dry shampoo aerosol users with benzene-related injury claims

Consumer Product

EzriCare / Delsam Pharma Artificial Tears Eye Infection Lawsuit

Status: Open · Users of recalled artificial tears with serious eye infections, vision loss, or related hospitalization

Toxic exposure MDLs

Long-tail exposure cases — military bases, manufacturing sites, and engineered-stone fabrication shops. Service records, employment history, or residence records help establish exposure.

Toxic Exposure

AFFF Firefighting Foam PFAS Lawsuit — Military & Firefighter Cancer Claims

Status: Open · Military firefighters, civilian firefighters, or base residents exposed to AFFF and diagnosed with kidney, testicular, or other PFAS-linked cancer · MDL 2873 (D.S.C.)

Toxic Exposure

PFAS Exposure Investigation — Forever Chemicals Cancer Claims

Status: Open · Residents and workers exposed to PFAS-contaminated drinking water or industrial PFAS · Cancer, thyroid, ulcerative colitis, and high-cholesterol claims

Toxic Exposure

Asbestos Mesothelioma Lawsuit

Status: Open · Workers, veterans, and family members with mesothelioma, lung cancer, or asbestosis from occupational or secondhand asbestos exposure

Toxic Exposure

Silicosis Lawsuit — Engineered-Stone Countertop Fabricator Lung Disease

Status: Open · Engineered-stone countertop fabricators diagnosed with silicosis, progressive massive fibrosis, or lung-transplant-requiring lung disease

Birth injury & medical malpractice

Single-defendant individual cases (not MDLs), but coordinated by plaintiffs’ firms because of the consistent injury pattern and shared expert witnesses.

Birth Injury

Birth Injury / Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) & Cerebral Palsy Lawsuit

Status: Open · Families of children with HIE, cerebral palsy, or related birth injury from delayed C-section, failure to monitor, or fetal distress

Birth Injury

Delayed C-Section / Failure to Respond to Fetal Distress

Status: Open · Families of newborns harmed by delayed emergency C-section or failure to respond to fetal heart-rate distress

Vaccine Injury

SIRVA Vaccine Shoulder Injury Compensation Program (VICP)

Status: Open · Adults with SIRVA (shoulder injury related to vaccine administration) eligible to file in the federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program

Sexual abuse & assault

Institutional abuse, rideshare assault, and online-grooming claims. Survivor confidentiality is preserved throughout intake.

Sexual Assault

Uber / Lyft Rideshare Sexual Assault Lawsuit

Uber or Lyft passengers sexually assaulted by a rideshare driver · Uber MDL 3084 & Lyft MDL 3171 (N.D. Cal.) · individual claims — no settlement claim form

Sexual Assault

NYC Institutional Abuse Lookback Window — Bill 1297-A Survivor Claims

Status: Open · Survivors of abuse at NYC-run or NYC-licensed institutions · Civil claims under reviver window through July 29, 2027

Sexual Assault

Discord Child Predator / Grooming Lawsuit

Status: Open · Parents of minors groomed or exploited through Discord

Sexual Assault

Roblox Child Predator / Grooming Lawsuit

Status: Open · Parents of minors groomed or exploited through Roblox

Environmental catastrophe & mass casualty

Wildfire, opioid epidemic, and other mass-casualty resolutions. Property records, medical records, and decedent records support claims.

Roundup Cancer Lawsuit — $7.25B Bayer Global Resolution

Settlement Reached

Environmental

Roundup Cancer Lawsuit — $7.25B Bayer Global Resolution

Status: Open · Roundup users diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma · $7.25B Bayer global resolution announced 2026 · MDL 2741 (N.D. Cal.)

Maui Fires Lawsuit — $135M Lahaina Wildfire Settlement

Settlement Reached

Environmental

Maui Fires Lawsuit — $135M Lahaina Wildfire Settlement

Status: Open · Lahaina / Maui residents with property loss, injury, or wrongful-death claims from the August 2023 wildfires · $135M Hawaiian Electric resolution

Environmental

California Wildfires Investigation

Status: Open · California residents with property loss, injury, or wrongful-death claims from utility-caused wildfires

Purdue Pharma / Sackler Family $6B Opioid Settlement

Settlement Reached

Opioid Epidemic

Purdue Pharma / Sackler Family $6B Opioid Settlement

Status: Open · Individuals harmed by Purdue OxyContin · $6B Sackler family / Purdue Pharma global resolution

Video game addiction harm to minors (closed)

Plaintiffs’ intake against video game studios over compulsion-design features (loot boxes, variable rewards, infinite reels) and harm to minors. These dockets are no longer accepting new intake; cards are kept here for historical reference and search continuity.