The paper aims to evaluate the impact that litigation arising out of toxic torts actions – i.e.: claims of compensation for harm caused by exposure to toxic substances – has thus far had on United States’ civil procedure. In this perspective, the essay explores the specific features of toxic tort actions, and compares them to those applying to ‘traditional’ tort actions. Particular attention is paid to the mechanisms in use for identifying plaintiffs and defendants of a toxic tort action, and to the ways in which a plurality of claims may be aggregated in a single lawsuit.
