The Rising Behemoth: Multidistrict and Mass Tort Litigation in the United States

Over the last few decades, multidistrict litigation in the federal courts has exploded. Originally a mechanism for consolidating relatively small numbers of commercial cases, with the advent of large-scale mass tort litigation, it has become the primary vehicle for resolving hundreds of thousands of tort claims pending in the federal court system. From asbestos to opioids, MDL proceedings are now used to resolve many of the largest and most high-profile disputes. In recent years, however, p...