MDL basics
What Is an MDL? A Plain-English Guide
How federal multidistrict litigation works, what it does not decide, and why an MDL case count is not the same as a settlement.
Use original documents, keep every number attached to a date and scope, and never confuse a prediction with a confirmed legal event.
One court coordinates shared pretrial work
Multidistrict litigation is a federal procedure used when civil cases in different federal courts share factual questions. The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation may transfer those cases to one federal district for coordinated pretrial proceedings.
Coordination can reduce duplicate discovery and inconsistent pretrial rulings. It does not automatically merge every plaintiff into one class action, and it does not guarantee a settlement.
An MDL is not a class action
In a typical product-liability MDL, each plaintiff generally keeps an individual claim. Common issues may be coordinated, while injury, causation, damages, and defenses can still depend on individual facts.
That distinction matters when reading headlines about average payouts. Individual outcomes can differ, and many active MDLs do not have an approved settlement program at all.
What happens after pretrial proceedings
Cases may be resolved, dismissed, selected for test trials, or returned to their original federal courts for trial. The path varies by docket and can change through court orders.
For current status, start with the transferee court's orders and the JPML's monthly pending-docket report.
Put it into practice
Compare the latest federal case counts
Each tracker shows the docket, court, judge, data date, scope, and direct source.
Open the mass tort tracker