<p>It is becoming increasingly common to find papers that are retracted in batches, a phenomenon referred to as mass retractions. These might take place in response to a common event – such as poor editorial handling by a guest editor in a special issue – that compromises the quality of all papers associated with that event. In this paper, a mass retraction is defined as a batch of 15 or more retracted papers, linked temporally or by a specific event. Mass retractions represent a communal mass failure of the system and of stakeholders. Responsible agents should be indicated in retraction notices, which risk become sources of misinformation if essential details are missing. It is also not uncommon to observe disagreement of authors in retraction notices who may feel disenfranchised, especially with journals that claimed peer review as their quality control mechanism. Cases of mass retractions are highlighted, as identified at Retraction Watch. This commentary also questions who are the responsible agents in mass retractions. In addition, a potential risk to journals or publishers that issue mass retractions is noted, namely the possibility that a group of authors – who are essentially clients, and who have all suffered the same fate (i.e., the mass retraction) – might band together and issue a class action lawsuit to seek redress. Frank, open and fair communication by all parties is preferred to collective legal action.</p>