The number of mass tort cases pending in Philadelphia’s Complex Litigation Center at the start of 2017 has risen to its highest level in more than five years.

According to the First Judicial District’s latest figures regarding the court’s mass torts inventory, the number of cases pending in mass tort programs has risen for the third year in a row, and has surpassed the number of cases pending in 2012 when the court began implementing changes aimed at clearing its mass tort inventory.