Topic
Multidistrict Litigation
454 published works
Drug & Device Law
What Happens in the MDL Doesn’t Stay in the MDL
Plaintiffs sometimes treat an MDL like a long layover—stretch their legs, grab a coffee, and assume that once they board the flight back to their home court, the airport rules…
Drug & Device Law
Even the Darkest Night Will End and the Sun Will Rise
By Eric Hudson
As we head into the longest night of the year, we wade into an MDL decision addressing fraudulent misjoinder. We previously posted about some unfavorable happenings in the Philips CPAP…
Inside Class Actions
New Federal Rule of Civil Procedure Provides Guidance for Early MDL Case Management
By Alyssa McGraw, Alexander Schultz
The first Federal Rule focused specifically on multidistrict litigation—which has long been a staple of complex, high-stakes litigation—took effect on December 1, 2025, as part of the 2025 amendments to the…
TortsProf Blog
Engstrom, Holland-Stergar, & Foulkes on Managing MDLs
Nora Freeman Engstrom, Brianne Holland-Stergar, & Owen Foulkes have posted to SSRN Managing MDLs: A Report from the March 2025 MDL Case Management Convening at Stanford Law School. The abstract…
Drug & Device Law
The MDL Casino
Mulitdistrict litigations – both federal MDLs and their state-court equivalents – sound like noble endeavors. The concept is simple: consolidate similar lawsuits under one judge to streamline proceedings. This, in…
Drug & Device Law
MDL Procedural Shortcuts Once Again Disadvantage Defendants
By Bexis
MDLs are supposed to follow the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. That’s the reminder the Sixth Circuit gave in In re National Prescription Opiate Litigation, 956 F.3d 838, 844 (6th…
Drug & Device Law
Changing Fortunes In The Valsartan MDL?
For several years now, the Valsartan MDL has been something of a poster child for the problems with modern serial product liability litigation. It started with questionable data coming out…
Gender and the Law Prof Blog
Study Shows Gender Gap in Class Counsel in Multidistrict Litigation
By Tracy Thomas
Alissa Del Riego, The Class Counsel Draft Gender Gap: An Analysis of Class Counsel Applicants The vast multidistrict litigation (“MDL”) and class counsel gender gap has caused much alarm in the…
Drug & Device Law
No Jumping the Queue in Paraquat MDL
By Susanna Moldoveanu, Adaeze Ashiedu
Today’s decision is not from a drug or device case but raises an interesting MDL procedural issue we see from time to time: Plaintiffs trying to jump the queue and…
Drug & Device Law
Playing The MDL Game
This time of year, many of us are focused on the NFL playoffs. For someone who watches the Super Bowl for the commercials or the halftime show, which team wins…