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 North Dakota, as in other states, multidistrict litigation (MDL) is a federal legal procedure that allows for the consolidation of multiple lawsuits that share common factual issues into a single district court. This process is designed to streamline pretrial proceedings, including discovery and motions, to increase efficiency and reduce the burden on the court system. MDLs are particularly common in cases of product liability, securities fraud, and major accidents such as airplane crashes. While the pretrial activities are centralized, each case retains its individual identity and, after the pretrial phase, the cases are typically sent back to their original courts for trial. The decision to consolidate cases into an MDL is made by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, a group of federal judges who oversee requests for consolidation. It's important to note that MDLs are a feature of the federal court system and do not directly involve state court procedures, although state courts may have similar mechanisms for consolidating cases with common issues.