Case Studies in the Financial Resolution of Mass Torts

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Introduction

The explosion of mass tort litigation during the eighties and nineties have caused a number of companies to encounter serious financial distress. Asbestos litigation alone has caused at least 20 bankruptcies. Litigation involving medical devices (including the Dalkon Shield IUD, silicone breast implants and temporomandibular joint implants) and pharmaceuticals (DES, fen/phen) have each caused at least one bankruptcy.

This study examines the life cycles of these cases.