How To Start Multidistrict Litigation?

Jed Dietrich, Esq. and His Team of Aggressive, Tenacious, and Hardworking Lawyers at the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. Fight to Obtain the Best Result for People Who Suffered Harm Resulting From Personal Injury and Product Liability Accidents in Buffalo, New York; Niagara Falls, New York; Rochester, New York; Throughout New York State and Beyond.

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When personal injury and product liability lawsuits are based on complex matters affecting large numbers of claimants, such as dangerous medications, faulty medical devices, defective automotive parts, or airplane accidents, the federal court will often implement a special legal process called multidistrict litigation (MDL). In a MDL, multiple lawsuits that share a common legal question are temporarily combined and transferred to a single district court. The district court oversees the discovery process and pretrial proceedings for the combined group of lawsuits.

The creation of a MDL is contingent on the case receiving a majority approval from the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML). The JPML comprises of 7 district and appellate court judges from various circuits. A group of lawsuits must have one or more common complaints to be eligible for multidistrict litigation. The main objective of multidistrict litigation is to conserve resources and support consistent court rulings among separate claims that involve similar issues of law. Each case is subsequently remanded back to its court of original jurisdiction for trial. If you have been a victim of a defective product or personal injury accident, although no amount of money can erase your pain and suffering, you may have the right to pursue monetary compensation.

Jed Dietrich, Esq. founded the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. in 2005 with a mission to provide the highest level of personal injury service to victims. The Dietrich Law Firm P.C.’s top rated team of Buffalo, New York, multidistrict litigation attorneys is disciplined, determined, and dedicated to obtaining the best possible result. Since 1999, Jed Dietrich, Esq. has exclusively handled serious personal injury and product liability cases. Over time, Jed Dietrich, Esq. has seen the devastating impact that defective products and personal injury accidents can have on a victim’s life, ranging from serious injuries to death. The best of the best at the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. understand the emotional trauma and complications that severe injuries can cause. Insurance companies have paid Jed Dietrich, Esq. at least $1,000,000.00 or more 44 times to compensate his clients for their injuries and illnesses. Our highly qualified team is available for your free consultation 24 hours per day and 7 days per week by calling 716-839-3939 or by filling out the online consultation form.

Qualifying for an MDL Versus Being Transferred

After the JPML decides to create a MDL, all subsequent related individual cases are generally permitted and often required to be filed directly into the multidistrict litigation irrespective of the original jurisdiction. The MDL court has jurisdiction over pretrial matters of every transferred lawsuit. When the battle-tested team at the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. receives your new case intake, we will begin by evaluating all of the facts and obtaining essential filing information. If there are any ongoing related multidistrict litigation cases against the same defendant based on similar legal issues, we will inquire about filing your case directly into the MDL. The enormous advantages of qualifying for multidistrict litigation outweigh the disadvantages.

Although all cases in a MDL are filed and evaluated on an individual basis, the cases are viewed collectively. If the court determines that a specific lawsuit filed into the multidistrict litigation would be better served in another venue, as a result of issues unique to that particular lawsuit, the MDL court will either transfer it to another MDL or the court of original jurisdiction for further proceedings. In the worst-case scenario, if the MDL court deems your case does not fit within the multidistrict litigation’s specific parameters, your case will be transferred back to the court of original jurisdiction for separate litigation proceedings. When transferred, a case will proceed based on the original date filed in that court, as opposed to the transfer date.

If you, or a loved one, have suffered from harm caused by a defective product or personal injury accident, you should contact Jed Dietrich, Esq. and his top rated team of Buffalo, New York, multidistrict litigation attorneys at the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. to learn more about your legal rights. You may have the right to seek monetary compensation for your past and future medical bills, lost wages from work, pain and suffering, and reduced earning capacity. Insurance companies have paid Jed Dietrich, Esq. over $175,000,000.00 in verdicts and settlements to compensate his clients for their serious personal injuries. Our honorable commitment to exceeding your expectations and delivering an excellent outcome sets us apart from the competition. Contact us today at 716-839-3939 to find out more about how we can help you!

What to Expect if Your Case Qualifies for Multidistrict Litigation

For plaintiffs who file their cases into a MDL, there are numerous benefits; for instance, the same judge administers all lawsuits in the multidistrict litigation case. This creates consistency in the way multidistrict litigation cases are managed and the implementation of all court decisions. The judge may also authorize a master complaint offered by the Plaintiff Steering Committee (PSC) on behalf of all of the plaintiffs, which contains the allegations common to the consolidated MDL lawsuits. Each plaintiff also files an abbreviated version of the master complaint called a short-form complaint in place of a stand-alone complaint.

After a plaintiff files their lawsuit into the multidistrict litigation and submits all relevant discovery, a standard set of discovery questions will be approved by the court to be completed by all plaintiffs and defendants involved in the MDL. Plaintiffs then wait for the PSC to deal with any litigation-related issues and proceed with bellwether trials. Although the waiting period is indeterminate, it generally lasts until either a settlement is reached or all of the cases are transferred back for individual trials at their respective courts of original jurisdiction. This waiting period can range from a few months to several years, depending on how long the MDL has been ongoing before the individual plaintiff filed their case. The fundamental objective of the PSC is to reach an adequate and reasonable settlement program that results in appropriate compensation for every individual plaintiff involved. If a settlement program is reached and subsequently approved by the MDL court, each case is required to join the program by a specific court-ordered deadline.

WERE YOU, OR A LOVED ONE, SERIOUSLY INJURED DUE TO A DANGEROUS PRODUCT OR PERSONAL INJURY ACCIDENT 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!

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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!

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