What Is The Purpose Of Filing Multidistrict Litigation?

Jed Dietrich, Esq. and His Team of Elite Attorneys at the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. Fight to Obtain the Best Result for People Who Suffered Harm Caused by Defective Products or Personal Injury Accidents in Buffalo, New York.


MultidistrictIn 1968, Congress enacted what is widely known as the multidistrict litigation statute, 28 U.S.C. § 1407. The statute authorizes the provisional transfer of cases to district courts for pretrial coordination and consolidation. Multidistrict litigation (MDL) was designed to ease overloaded backlogs in federal courts by expediting the processing of related lawsuits together. These types of complex cases, which often involve multiple claims filed by different parties, actively streamline the course of pretrial proceedings by eliminating duplicate requests for discovery and witness depositions. Multidistrict litigation cases often comprise of thousands of individual claims and hundreds of attorneys from various parts of the country working together. While multidistrict litigations may combine anywhere from a dozen to several hundred lawsuits, the number of claims can fluctuate considerably. The biggest and longest-running MDL, which was established in 1991 to handle all the federal asbestos cases, consisted of over 192,000 lawsuits. Today, MDLs represent an overwhelming number of all pending lawsuits in federal courts, accounting for approximately 52%.

Since 1999, Jed Dietrich, Esq. has exclusively handled serious personal injury and product liability cases. Jed Dietrich, Esq. has battled to obtain over $175 Million in verdicts and settlements for victims who were injured in Buffalo, New York; Rochester, New York; Niagara Falls, New York; throughout New York State and beyond. Our honorable commitment to exceeding your expectations and delivering an exceptional outcome is what sets us apart from the competition. The Dietrich Law Firm P.C. xfoffers complimentary lawsuit evaluations and consultations. Jed Dietrich, Esq. and his team of multidistrict litigation personal injury attorneys in Buffalo, New York, would be honored to speak with you about your personal injury claim. Our outstanding team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at 716-839-3939 or by filling out the online consultation form. We are the aggressive, tenacious, and hardworking personal injury lawyers who are ready to fight for the compensation that you deserve!

Types of Cases That Become MDLs

Multidistrict litigations typically consist of cases where a considerable number of plaintiffs file lawsuits, which tend to be related to the same complaint, against a sole business or corporation. These types of cases may involve hazardous medications, accidents that injured numerous people, or even discrimination practices in hiring. During recent years, an increasing number of pharmaceutical and medical injury lawyers have become involved in multidistrict litigation cases. Types of cases that become MDLs often include:

  1. Product liability lawsuits, involving children’s toys, auto parts, or household appliances;
  2. Dangerous medications and medical devices;
  3. Aviation accidents and incidents;
  4. Employment practices, such as wrongful termination, harassment, or wage violations;
  5. Civil litigation related to securities fraud; and
  6. Intellectual property cases, such as patent, trademark, and copyright cases.

WERE YOU, OR A LOVED ONE, SERIOUSLY INJURED DUE TO AN ACCIDENT OR DEFECTIVE PRODUCT IN BUFFALO, NIAGARA FALLS, ROCHESTER OR OTHER PARTS OF NEW YORK STATE?
CALL JED DIETRICH, ESQ. AND HIS TOP RATED AND HIGHLY EXPERIENCED TEAM OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK PERSONAL INJURY ACCIDENT AND
PRODUCT LIABILITY LAWYERS AT 716-839-3939 NOW TO OBTAIN
THE HELP THAT YOU DESERVE!

Some Key Benefits of Multidistrict Litigation

MultidistrictAlthough the concept of multidistrict litigation may seem confusing, filing a MDL instead of pursuing a lawsuit individually can provide some strategic and economic benefits. Multidistrict litigation with potentially hundreds or even thousands of other claimants in comparable situations can provide several key advantages, including:

  1. Numerous plaintiffs working together can help provide strength in numbers. Hundreds or even thousands of plaintiffs alongside their lawyers can combine to generate a powerful and influential litigation group. MDLs effectively level the playing field between individual plaintiffs and giant corporate defendants with unlimited resources.
  2. MDLs dramatically decrease litigation expenses for individual claimants. While individual cases standing alone in court are frequently overwhelmed with teams of defense lawyers, litigation costs, and what seems like never-ending litigation, each qualifying claimant in an MDL is only charged a fraction of the overall case expenses, such as costs for expert witnesses on causation and damages. The MDL court generally directs a portion of each case’s attorney fees to a Common Benefit Fund.
  3. Multidistrict litigation streamlines the discovery process and provides uniformity in the way all the cases are managed. Discovery in an MDL is limited and staged. Claimants are granted access to collective defense discovery responses, various litigation resources, and highly competent expert witnesses.
  4. The overseeing MDL judge will generally assign a group of lawyers with extensive experience, such as Jed Dietrich, Esq., to the Plaintiff Steering Committee (PSC). The PSC plays a prominent leadership role in all matters concerning the MDL-related litigation; for instance, overall strategy, expenditure determination, experts hired, case coordination, and, ultimately, terms of settlement offers may all be decided or strongly influenced by the attorneys of the PSC.
  5. MDLs significantly conserve resources and promote efficiency. Instead of hundreds or even thousands of cases pending in various courts around the country, multidistrict litigation is coordinated at one primary court, so that the lawsuits can proceed in an orderly and timely manner. Supervising judges generally become extremely knowledgeable regarding all facts of the case and can determine the most effective rulings.

If you, or a loved one, were seriously injured in an accident caused by a defective product or another’s negligence, Jed Dietrich, Esq. and his seasoned team of multidistrict litigation personal injury attorneys in Buffalo, New York are here for you. We are determined, disciplined, and dedicated to obtaining the best possible results for those who suffered severe personal injuries in Buffalo, New York; Rochester, New York; Niagara Falls, New York; throughout New York State and beyond. Victims often endure life-changing injuries that make it impossible to go back to the way things were before their accident. Accident victims may be eligible for monetary compensation for all lost wages, past and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, and reduced future earning capacity through a personal injury lawsuit against the responsible party. Time and time again, former clients of the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. have said that Jed Dietrich, Esq. is the best personal injury lawyer in Western New York. View our Google 5 Star rating and clients’ testimonials by clicking here. Call Jed Dietrich, Esq., renowned as a Top 3 Personal Injury Lawyers in Buffalo, New York, and his top rated team today at 716-839-3939.


Call the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. immediately at 716-839-3939 so that our aggressive, tenacious and hardworking personal injury lawyers can fight to obtain the best result for your personal injury claim in Buffalo, New York. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and there is never a fee until we WIN for you!

Client Reviews
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I am a medical doctor and have worked with many of the best lawyers in Buffalo and I can say without question that Jed Dietrich is the only lawyer I would trust with my injury case in Buffalo New York. B.O.
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Dogged, Determined, and Dead-set on getting you the Maximum settlement for your injuries! T.F.
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No one will work harder, smarter or better; I have retained Jed and he obtained the best result for my case. D.P.
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The definition of an "A" type personality-exactly who I would want to represent me in a serious personal injury case. E.S.
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Jed is a Master in the courtroom without an equal. S.C.
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