Multidistrict Litigation (MDL)
Federal consolidation of related civil actions before one judge for coordinated pretrial proceedings.
Under 28 U.S.C. § 1407, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation transfers civil actions sharing common questions of fact to a single district for consolidated pretrial handling. Cases are to be remanded for trial once pretrial proceedings conclude, though in practice the overwhelming majority resolve within the MDL. MDLs now account for a substantial majority of the federal civil docket.
See also
- Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML)The seven-judge panel that decides whether and where to centralise related federal actions.
- Bellwether TrialA representative case tried to verdict to inform valuation of the wider inventory.
- Common Benefit FundAn assessment on recoveries that compensates leadership counsel for work benefiting all claimants.
- Plaintiff Fact Sheet (PFS)A standardised questionnaire each plaintiff completes in lieu of individual interrogatories.
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