JPML Process: How New MDLs Are Created
Disclaimer: This article is informational only and does not constitute legal advice. Mass tort and class action eligibility, deadlines, and settlement procedures vary by jurisdiction and individual circumstances. For specific case evaluation, consult a qualified attorney licensed in your state. Any payout ranges mentioned reflect publicly disclosed settlement administrator data and do not guarantee individual outcomes. Imagine a scenario where thousands of individuals across dozens of different states all discover they have been harmed by the same defective medical device or contaminated consumer product. By the early months of 2026, these individuals might have filed separate lawsuits in their respective local federal district courts. Without a centralizing mechanism, the federal judiciary would face a logistical nightmare: hundreds of different judges making potentially conflicting rulings on the same evidence, and defendants being forced to produce the same documents thousands of times. This is where the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) steps in to streamline the process through the creation of a Multidistrict Litigation, or MDL. As of 2026, the JPML process remains one of the most critical components of the American civil justice system. It is designed to promote the “just and efficient conduct” of actions involving one or more common questions of fact. Whether you are a consumer tracking the progress of a specific litigation or someone considering legal action, understanding the JPML process is essential to navigating the complexities of mass torts. This guide provides a comprehensive look at how new MDLs are created, the criteria used by the panel, and what happens once cases are centralized. What is the JPML and What Does It Do? The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) is a specialized body within the United States federal court system. Created by an act of Congress in 1968 (28 U.S.C. § 1407), the panel consists of seven sitting federal circuit and district judges appointed by the Chief Justice of the United States. No two members of the panel may be from the same judicial circuit. According to U.S. District Courts (USDC) — JPML Multi-District Litigation data, the panel’s primary responsibility is to determine whether civil actions pending in different federal districts should be transferred to a single district for coordinated or consolidated pretrial proceedings. The core mission of the JPML is twofold: to eliminate duplicative discovery and to prevent inconsistent pretrial rulings. For example, if one judge in New York rules that a specific …