A mass tort is a civil lawsuit that involves hundreds or thousands of plaintiffs and one or a few defendants in which the plaintiffs have the same or similar claims against the defendant or defendants. Mass tort lawsuits are often filed as class action lawsuits (a procedural mechanism for joining the plaintiffs in one lawsuit), and are typically based on alleged wrongful acts (torts) such as exposure of the plaintiffs to harmful substances (asbestos or benzene), or defective products (pharmaceuticals or medical devices), or invasions of privacy (data breaches).

In Tennessee, mass torts are civil actions that involve a large number of plaintiffs against one or a few defendants. These plaintiffs generally have similar legal claims resulting from actions such as exposure to hazardous substances, defective products, or privacy violations. Mass torts in Tennessee can be filed as class action lawsuits, which allows for the collective legal claims of many individuals to be addressed in a single court proceeding. This is particularly useful when the individual claims might be too small to justify separate lawsuits. Tennessee follows the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure for class actions, which require that the case must meet certain criteria such as having common questions of law or fact, and that the class representative's claims are typical of the claims of the class. Additionally, the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act provides a legal framework for individuals to bring forward claims related to unfair or deceptive business practices, which can include some of the wrongful acts typically involved in mass torts.