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Home ► Blog ► An Informal Guide: What is a Multidistrict Litigation?
Multidistrict litigation, commonly referred to as MDL, is a special federal legal procedure designed to speed the process of handling complex litigations by consolidating cases and addressing all pretrial procedures in one court.
When a large number of people who have all been affected by the same thing file individual lawsuits, the federal court system allows for the consolidation of these cases into an MDL to make them easier to manage. The original lawsuits do not have to be in the same state. MDLs take cases from multiple federal districts (each state has at least one district) and puts them into one district court. This single district court, and one judge, then address all the discovery and pretrial procedures that apply to every case – cutting the costs and amount of resources needed, and keeping court rulings consistent with similar cases.
MDLs save everyone involved, plaintiffs and defense alike, both time and money. MDLs were created to make the court more efficient because one of the common issues with the legal industry is how long the process can take. By consolidating cases into one district court to address discovery and pretrial procedures, time and money are saved through efficient case management. Rather than have multiple judges address the same issues, one judge handles all of the issues for all of the cases. Rather than having many plaintiffs paying the legal costs of discovery and pretrial proceedings across multiple districts, these activities occur once, in a single district court.
Discovery is a pre-trial process in which each party can obtain evidence from the other party. This can happen through various means, including a deposition of witnesses, a review of documents, written exchanges of questions and answers, etc.
Any group of non-criminal cases involving one or more common questions of fact can be eligible for multidistrict litigation. MDLs can consolidate either individual cases or class action lawsuits, or both.
Common types of MDL cases include:
The decision is not up to either party involved. In fact, the decision to establish an MDL is determined by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML). The panel is comprised of seven federal district court judges appointed by the chief justice. The panel, created in 1968, was designed to relieve the mass amount of cases backlogged in the United States federal judicial court. 28 U.S.C. 1407
Once an MDL has been created, you as the plaintiff, have 20 days to decide if you would like to join. If not, a motion to transfer must be filed within those 20 days. Then, the MDL Panel must decide if they grant you permission to transfer your case.
An MDL can be a confusing process which is why it is best to hire a personal injury lawyer to act on your behalf. Their knowledge and experience in the legal industry will be of the utmost importance when holding the responsible party accountable for your injuries and fighting to get you the compensation you deserve.
Learn More About the Lawsuit Process:
My name is myranda Davis and I have as the marui idu out in in September 2013 and I had to have it taken out bc it gave me irregular bleeding and a cyst on my ovris and a misscarriage
Posted by Myranda Davis on Wed Jan 24 2018 3:35pm
Myranda, I am sorry to hear that. I’ve referred your inquiry to our legal team. If you have any questions in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to call our office at (618) 656-4400 or email us at info@thlawyer.com.
Posted by Lindsey Andrews on Thu Jan 25 2018 10:36am
I had the marina IUD put in 2007, immediately started having problems, the doctor who put it in refused to take it back out, finally at urgent care due to issues relating to the IUD the doctor there took it out. I believe I would qualify with the lawsuit
Posted by Wendy Scott on Thu Nov 15 2018 11:58pm
am i in the penn law suit
Posted by sandra smith berg on Fri Feb 15 2019 7:47am
Hi Sandra,
Please call our office (618-656-4400) to discuss your question.
Posted by Lindsey Andrews on Mon Feb 18 2019 11:52am
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