Last month, the Judicial Conference’s Advisory Committee on Civil Rules advanced a complex and long-awaited new rule regarding multi-district litigation (MDL) that had been in process for 7 years. The rule is officially called Rule 16.1 and is set to become the first new addition to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure focused on MDLs.
What is an MDL?
MDLs arise when several lawsuits that make similar claims against the same defendant are filed in numerous districts. This occurs most often in class action cases. As instances of data breach, false advertising, product defect, and privacy violations continue to take place at an alarming rate, the need for clear guidelines has become increasingly apparent. Class action lawsuits can be an extremely effective means of securing compensation for thousands or millions of deserving people who have suffered the same damages. When considering the scale of the damages inflicted in MDL cases, it is nearly inevitable that several lawsuits of a similar nature will be filed across the country.
What does Rule 16.1 do?
Rule 16.1 establishes a much-needed series of guidelines and regulations around navigating these complex cases. It eases the process of determining how the federal courts balance numerous similar lawsuits, which will empower firms like Arias Sanguinetti to more efficiently bring justice to our clients.
At Arias Sanguinetti, we take enormous pride in our work on class action cases. Our team of class action attorneys applauds the Judicial Conference’s Advisory Committee for clearing the path for us to better advocate for our clients. In MDLs, the compensation we may be able to secure can grow significantly, enabling us to deliver far broader and more effective justice to those who have suffered harm.
It is not every day that major structural changes in the federal court system are implemented. Our team of class action attorneys extends its thanks to the Judicial Conference’s Advisory Committee for its hard work in rigorously crafting this essential new rule.
