- multidistrict litigation
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A federal case management procedure in which a federal panel transfers several (or many) complex civil cases involving one or more common questions of fact to one federal district court (called the MDL court). The MDL court coordinates and oversees pretrial proceedings, signs off on settlement of some cases, and dismisses others. All remaining cases are sent back to the original court of filing for trial. MDL works well when plaintiffs nationwide file lawsuits against the same defendants, alleging the same issues. Types of litigation that lend themselves to MDL include cases against pharmaceutical drug companies, lawsuits based on an airplane crash, securities fraud cases, and some employment cases.Category: Accidents & InjuriesCategory: Dangerous Products & DrugsCategory: Employment Law & HR → Employee Rights → Your Rights Against Workplace Discrimination & HarassmentCategory: If, When & Where to File a Lawsuit
Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary. Gerald N. Hill, Kathleen Thompson Hill. 2009.
- multidistrict litigation
-
A procedure provided by federal statute (28 U.S.C.A. § 1407) that permits civil lawsuits with at least one common (and often intricate) question of fact that have been pending in different federal district courts to be transferred and consolidated for pretrial proceedings before one judge.
Dictionary from West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005.
- multidistrict litigation
-
A procedure provided by federal statute (28 U.S.C.A. § 1407) that permits civil lawsuits with at least one common (and often intricate) question of fact that have been pending in different federal district courts to be transferred and consolidated for pretrial proceedings before one judge.
Short Dictionary of (mostly American) Legal Terms and Abbreviations.
