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, more efficient and convenient. In West Virginia, as in other states, cases that are part of an MDL are managed collectively during the pretrial phase. 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, securities fraud, and major accidents like airplane crashes. It's important to note that MDL is a federal procedure and thus is governed by federal law, specifically by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, rather than state law. Therefore, the process is consistent across all states, including West Virginia.