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Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation - Judicial Business 2016

The Panel transferred 4,201 cases that had been pending in 92 district courts to 41 transferee districts for inclusion in coordinated or consolidated pretrial proceedings with 36,265 actions initiated in the transferee districts. The Panel did not order transfer for 343 actions that were the subjects of 55 motions for centralization, although 2 of those motions involved 20 newly docketed sets of litigation focusing on fantasy sports and another 2 motions involved 17 actions addressing the marketing of grated parmesan cheese.

The Panel centralized 28 new multidistrict litigation (MDL) dockets. Eight sales practice dockets accounted for more than a quarter of the new dockets, and seven antitrust dockets accounted for more than 50 percent of total dockets transferred. Other notable dockets included six product liability dockets and four consumer privacy litigation dockets alleging breaches of customer data security.

Since its creation in 1968, the Panel has centralized 593,711 civil actions for pretrial proceedings. By the end of fiscal year 2016, a total of 16,221 actions had been remanded for trial, 398 actions had been reassigned within the transferee districts, 440,174 actions had been terminated in the transferee courts, and 136,918 actions were pending throughout 55 transferee district courts.

Table S-19 and Table S-20 provide statistics on the 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 MDL cases 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.