MDL Census

An MDL census is a court-ordered or case management process in which all plaintiffs consolidated within a multidistrict litigation are required to submit standardized profile forms disclosing key case-specific information, such as injury type, exposure history, product use dates, and medical treatment. Census data allows the MDL court and parties to assess the overall inventory, identify bellwether candidates, and facilitate global settlement negotiations. For plaintiff firms, timely and accurate census submissions are a critical intake and docket management obligation, as deficient or late filings can result in dismissal of individual cases.