Tag-along actions are identified by the parties or the Panel clerk and transferred through conditional transfer orders. Parties have an obligation to notify the Panel of potential tag-along cases.
Cases filed directly in the MDL under a direct filing order are not tag-alongs.
Alternative Names:
Tag-Along Case, Related Action
Why it Matters?
The notification obligation means a defendant sued in a new district on the same facts should promptly identify the case to the Panel rather than litigating it separately. Failing to do so risks inconsistent rulings and duplicated discovery in a forum the defendant did not choose. For plaintiffs, filing in a preferred district and resisting transfer is a recognized strategy that the tag-along mechanism is designed to defeat.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Must parties notify the Panel of related cases?
Are directly filed cases tag-alongs?
