How is mass tort litigation different from a class action lawsuit?

Many people assume that mass torts and class actions are the same thing. However, there are key differences between mass tort litigation and class action lawsuits:

• A class action lawsuit is when one or more people sue on behalf of a larger group against the same defendant. The class shares similar legal claims, and class members divide compensation from a single settlement fund.
• In mass tort litigation, multiple plaintiffs have coordinated discovery, expert development, and pretrial proceedings, but each claim is considered individually rather than as a group.