Legal Definitions - Multidistrict Litigation

Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) is a legal process used in federal civil litigation to make the litigation process more efficient and convenient for parties involved. It aims to reduce the burden on federal district courts.

When civil actions in different district courts involve common questions of fact, they may be temporarily consolidated and transferred to a single district court for pretrial proceedings, though they remain separate cases.

For example, if there are several lawsuits filed against a company in different states, all claiming the same thing, the cases can be consolidated into one MDL.

The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, consisting of seven circuit and district judges designated by the Chief Justice of the United States, decides whether to transfer the case and appoint a transferee judge to oversee the proceedings.

For example, if there are several lawsuits filed against a company in different states, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation will decide which district court will oversee the proceedings.

The transferee judge will then select a lead counsel to coordinate discovery, though each individual party maintains their private attorney throughout the process.

After discovery and pretrial proceedings, any remaining cases are transferred back to its original district for trial. However, many cases reach global settlements or are disposed of via dismissal or summary judgment before ever reaching that stage.

For example, if there are several lawsuits filed against a company in different states, after the pretrial proceedings, any remaining cases will be transferred back to their original district for trial.

The majority of MDLs are antitrust and product liability cases and can sometimes involve several thousand individual lawsuits.

For example, if there are several lawsuits filed against a company for a defective product, all claiming the same thing, the cases can be consolidated into one MDL.

Multidistrict litigation has continued to grow and now makes up more than 50 percent of the federal civil caseload.