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Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation - Judicial Business 2017

The Panel transferred 3,620 cases that had been pending in 91 district courts to 39 transferee districts for inclusion in coordinated or consolidated pretrial proceedings with 29,612 actions initiated in the transferee districts. The Panel did not order transfer for 239 actions that were the subjects of 36 motions for centralization.

The Panel centralized 23 new multidistrict litigation (MDL) dockets. Fourteen product liability dockets accounted for nearly two-thirds of the new dockets, and three data security breach dockets and three sales practices dockets together accounted for more than one-fourth of the total dockets transferred. The remaining three dockets transferred included one addressing an alleged automobile defect, an antitrust docket, and a securities docket.

Since its creation in 1968, the Panel has centralized 626,938 civil actions for pretrial proceedings. By the end of fiscal year 2017, a total of 16,600 actions had been remanded for trial, 486,136 actions had been terminated in the transferee courts, and 124,202 actions were pending throughout 51 transferee district courts.

Tables S-19 and 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.