Multidistrict litigation is a legal procedure in United States federal courts in which lawsuits involving similar issues (common issues of fact) are consolidated in one court (called the MDL court) for the purpose of convenience and efficiency in pretrial matters, such as discovery. These lawsuits are generally returned to their original federal district courts for trial. Claims that are often the subject of multidistrict litigation are product liability claims against pharmaceutical companies, securities fraud cases, and airplane crashes.

Multidistrict litigation (MDL) is a federal legal procedure that allows for the consolidation of multiple lawsuits that share common factual issues to be transferred to a single federal district court. This process is designed to make pretrial proceedings, including discovery and motions, more efficient by avoiding duplicate efforts and inconsistent rulings across different courts. In Louisiana, as in other states, cases that are part of an MDL are managed collectively during the pretrial phase by the MDL court. However, once the pretrial matters are resolved, the cases are typically sent back to their original courts for trial. MDLs are commonly used in cases involving product liability, such as those against pharmaceutical companies, as well as in securities fraud cases and major accidents like airplane crashes. The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, a group of federal judges, decides whether cases should be consolidated under MDL and which district court will oversee the proceedings.