Main content

Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation - Judicial Business 2013

The United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation acted on 46,509 civil actions pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1407 during 2013.

The Panel transferred 5,521 cases originally filed in 90 district courts to 43 transferee districts for inclusion in coordinated or consolidated pretrial proceedings with 40,988 actions initiated in the transferee districts. The Panel did not order transfer in 36 newly docketed sets of litigation involving 186 actions.

Cases involving product liability and marketing/sales practices were the most prevalent types of litigation the Panel had transferred this year. Cases addressing joint implants and pelvic repair products again constituted a significant portion of the Panel's transfer determinations.

Since its creation in 1968, the Panel has centralized 462,501 civil actions for pretrial proceedings. By the end of 2013, a total of 13,432 actions had been remanded for trial, 398 actions had been reassigned within the transferee districts, 359,548 actions had been terminated in the transferee courts, and 89,123 actions were pending in 271 multidistrict litigation dockets throughout 56 transferee district courts.

Table S-19 and table S-20 provide statistics on the number of cases transferred since the Panel was created, presenting data on the flow of cases into and out of the districts during the current fiscal year and cumulative since 1968.

All statistical information on multidistrict litigation traffic in the federal courts is maintained by the clerk's office of the Panel. Information on specific cases or districts may be obtained from that office.