The transferee court manages all transferred and directly filed cases, appoints leadership, issues case management orders, resolves common discovery and dispositive motions, and oversees bellwether trials and settlement.
Its authority is limited to pretrial matters absent a Lexecon waiver.
Alternative Names:
MDL Court, Transferee District
Why it Matters?
The transferee judge's approach determines nearly everything about how a mass tort proceeds: whether general causation is sequenced first, whether Lone Pine orders issue, how bellwethers are selected, and how much settlement pressure is applied. Judges differ substantially on each. Researching the assigned judge's practices in prior MDLs is more informative than any argument about the district's convenience.
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Frequently asked questions
What does the transferee court control?
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