Houston Law Firm Experienced With Multi-District Litigation

Texas MDL Attorneys Help Accident Victims Throughout the Southwest

When a large number of individual cases make similar allegations against a common defendant and have one or more similar questions of fact, these cases may be transferred into what is known as multi-district litigation (MDL).

In the federal system, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) decides when individual cases will be transferred to an MDL, but it typically occurs when a large number of cases have been filed against common defendants, and the courts anticipate that more plaintiffs will file lawsuits. At the state level, a state Supreme Court can also decide to combine similar cases.

Types of cases that are sometimes combined into an MDL include claims against pharmaceutical or medical device companies and other complex product liability lawsuits.

How Does a Multi-District Litigation Work?

A single judge usually oversees and administers cases that are combined into an MDL, typically by grouping cases with common factual or legal issues together for discovery, pre-trial hearings, settlement conferences, and trial scheduling. Multi-district litigation is intended to:

• Speed up the handling of complex cases
• Streamline the litigation process
• Help avoid repetitive discovery and conflicting pre-trial motions
• Allow bellwether trials to be set that will potentially determine the strength of the plaintiffs’ claims.

Contact an Experienced Houston Multi-District Litigation Attorney Today

Have you or someone you know been injured due to the negligence of a business? If others have sustained losses similar to yours, your case might be eligible to be consolidated with others in multi-district litigation. For more information about what it means to be part of an MDL, contact the Chandler Law Firm, L.L.P. online or call 713-401-9455 to schedule your free initial consultation today.