Multidistrict litigation is a legal procedure in United States federal courts in which lawsuits involving similar issues (common issues of fact) are consolidated in one court (called the MDL court) for the purpose of convenience and efficiency in pretrial matters, such as discovery. These lawsuits are generally returned to their original federal district courts for trial. Claims that are often the subject of multidistrict litigation are product liability claims against pharmaceutical companies, securities fraud cases, and airplane crashes.

In Colorado, as in other states, multidistrict litigation (MDL) is a federal legal procedure that consolidates multiple lawsuits involving common factual issues to streamline pretrial processes like discovery and motions. This consolidation is for efficiency and convenience and is managed by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, which decides whether cases should be transferred to an MDL court. While the pretrial proceedings are centralized, the individual cases retain their separate identities. If the cases do not settle or get dismissed during the MDL process, they are typically remanded back to their original federal district courts for trial. MDLs are commonly used for complex cases such as product liability suits, including those against pharmaceutical companies, as well as securities fraud cases and major accident litigations like airplane crashes. It's important to note that MDL is a federal procedure and does not apply to cases filed in Colorado state courts unless they are removed to federal court.