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  1. Home
  2. /Research
  3. /How Long MDLs Last

How Long Does an MDL Take? Federal Multidistrict Litigation From Creation to Closing

Original analysis of 94 records from the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, January 2023–September 2026 (closing dates). Published October 16, 2026.

Download the dataKey findings

We measured the time from the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation's transfer order to the closing of the docket for every federal MDL the Panel lists as closed between January 1, 2023 and September 30, 2026.

What the Closed MDL Dockets Show

The 94 federal multidistrict litigations (MDLs) closed between January 2023 and September 2026 lasted a median of 5.9 years from the Panel's transfer order to the closing of the docket. The middle half of them took between 3.1 and 9.5 years, and 19 of the 94 (20.2%) stayed open for a decade or longer. Products liability MDLs, the mass torts, took a median of 8.4 years.

  • 5.9Median years from MDL creation to closing
  • 20%Closed MDLs that lasted a decade or longer
  • 8.4Median years, closed products liability MDLs
  1. Half lasted more than five years

    Of the 94 MDLs closed since January 2023, 53 (56.4%) closed five years or more after the Panel's transfer order. The average was 6.5 years, pulled up by the longest dockets, which ran as long as 17.7 years.

  2. Mass torts run longest

    The 27 products liability MDLs in the group lasted a median of 8.4 years, compared with 6.8 years for 24 antitrust MDLs and 2.7 years for 12 data breach and privacy MDLs.

  3. Patent and marketing MDLs close fastest

    The 12 patent, copyright and trade secret MDLs closed after a median of 2.4 years, about as fast as the 9 marketing and sales practices MDLs at 2.4 years. The shortest docket, the Prepared Food Photos, Inc., Copyright Litigation, closed 4.4 months after its transfer order.

  4. The longest-running recently closed MDL

    The National Security Agency Telecommunications Records Litigation (MDL No. 1791), created in 2006, closed after 17.7 years, followed by the Rail Freight Fuel Surcharge Antitrust Litigation at 17.7 years.

  5. Nearly one in five closed within two years

    18 MDLs (19.1%) closed less than two years after the transfer order, most of them data breach, patent or marketing and sales practices MDLs.

How Long Does an MDL Take

An MDL begins when the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation orders related federal cases transferred to one judge, and ends when that judge's MDL docket is closed. We measured that span for each MDL closed between January 2023 and September 2026.

The median closed MDL lasted 5.9 years. A quarter closed within 3.1 years and a quarter lasted longer than 9.5 years.

Durations spread almost evenly from under two years to more than a decade. 18 MDLs (19.1%) closed in under two years, 71 (75.5%) lasted three years or more, and 19 (20.2%) lasted a decade or longer. The mean of 6.5 years is higher than the median of 5.9 years because the longest dockets ran far beyond the median, up to 17.7 years; the oldest was created in 2006.

Before the clock in this study starts, there is a shorter step: from the motion to centralize filed with the Panel to the transfer order took a median of 2.8 months.

Closed federal MDLs by years from transfer order to closing, January 2023 to September 2026

  • Under 2 years1819.2% of closed MDLs
  • 2 to 4 years1414.9% of closed MDLs
  • 4 to 6 years1516.0% of closed MDLs
  • 6 to 8 years1414.9% of closed MDLs
  • 8 to 10 years1414.9% of closed MDLs
  • 10 years or more1920.2% of closed MDLs

Download this table (CSV)

Download this chart (PNG)

Duration runs from the date of the Panel's transfer order to the date the MDL docket was closed, as listed in the JPML's closed-litigation reports.

Which Types of MDLs Take the Longest

We grouped each MDL by keywords in its official caption, such as Products Liability, Antitrust or Data Security Breach. Captions that combine marketing claims with products liability claims count as products liability, and so do personal injury and disaster MDLs such as an air crash and a mine waste release, which the Panel's own statistics can place in other categories, such as air disaster.

Products liability MDLs lasted a median of 8.4 years and antitrust MDLs 6.8 years, while data breach and privacy MDLs took 2.7 years and patent, copyright and trade secret MDLs 2.4 years.

The 27 products liability MDLs include the large personal injury mass torts, among them the Chinese-Manufactured Drywall Products Liability Litigation, which lasted 16.5 years. Marketing and sales practices MDLs without a products liability claim closed after a median of 2.4 years.

Several groups contain only a handful of MDLs, so their medians can shift with a single docket. The type grouping is ours, not the Panel's, and is listed for every MDL in the CSV.

Median years from transfer order to closing, by type of MDL

  • Products liability8.427 MDLs · mean 8.1 years
  • Banking, securities and finance7.05 MDLs · mean 7.3 years
  • Antitrust6.924 MDLs · mean 8.0 years
  • Wage and hour6.72 MDLs · mean 6.7 years
  • Insurance3.93 MDLs · mean 3.8 years
  • Data breach and privacy2.712 MDLs · mean 5.5 years
  • Marketing and sales practices2.49 MDLs · mean 4.1 years
  • Patent, copyright and trade secret2.412 MDLs · mean 3.0 years

Download this table (CSV)

Download this chart (PNG)

Which MDLs Lasted the Longest

The ranking lists the closed MDLs by years from the Panel's transfer order to the closing of the docket. The CSV contains every MDL with its filing, transfer and closing dates.

The National Security Agency Telecommunications Records Litigation lasted 17.7 years, the Rail Freight Fuel Surcharge Antitrust Litigation 17.7 years and the Chinese-Manufactured Drywall Products Liability Litigation 16.5 years.

The three longest-running MDLs were created between 2006 and 2009. Long-running dockets are not limited to mass torts: antitrust, privacy and banking MDLs appear near the top of the list as well.

Closed federal MDLs by years from transfer order to closing

MDLYearsClosed
National Security Agency Telecommunications Records Litigation17.72024
Rail Freight Fuel Surcharge Antitrust Litigation17.72025
Chinese-Manufactured Drywall Products Liability Litigation16.52025
Checking Account Overdraft Litigation14.52023
Libor-Based Financial Instruments Antitrust Litigation14.32025
Google Inc. Cookie Placement Consumer Privacy Litigation14.22026
Blood Reagents Antitrust Litigation13.72023
DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., Pinnacle Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation13.62024
Lipitor Antitrust Litigation12.82025
Suboxone (Buprenorphine Hydrochloride and Naloxone) Antitrust Litigation12.32025
All closed MDLs
MDLYearsClosed
Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC, Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) Litigation12.32024
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company C-8 Personal Injury Litigation11.92025
Xarelto (Rivaroxaban) Products Liability Litigation11.22026
Syngenta AG MIR162 Corn Litigation11.12026
Emerson Electric Co. Wet/​Dry Vac Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation10.92023
Amazon.com, Inc., Fulfillment Center Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Wage and Hour Litigation10.92025
Domestic Drywall Antitrust Litigation10.82024
Propecia (Finasteride) Products Liability Litigation10.82023
Fresenius GranuFlo/​NaturaLyte Dialysate Products Liability Litigation10.52023
Aluminum Warehousing Antitrust Litigation10.02023
Opana ER Antitrust Litigation9.72024
Fluoroquinolone Products Liability Litigation9.62025
Testosterone Replacement Therapy Products Liability Litigation9.52023
Smith & Nephew Birmingham Hip Resurfacing (BHR) Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation9.52026
Disposable Contact Lens Antitrust Litigation9.52024
General Motors LLC Ignition Switch Litigation9.12023
Lumber Liquidators Chinese-Manufactured Flooring Products Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation9.02024
Bard IVC Filters Products Liability Litigation8.92024
National Football League's "Sunday Ticket" Antitrust Litigation8.82024
London Silver Fixing, Ltd., Antitrust Litigation8.72023
FCA US LLC Monostable Electronic Gearshift Litigation8.42025
Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep EcoDiesel Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation8.32025
Liquid Toppings Dispensing System ('447) Patent Litigation8.22026
Dicamba Herbicides Litigation7.72025
FieldTurf Artificial Turf Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation7.62025
FedLoan Student Loan Servicing Litigation7.22025
Dealer Management Systems Antitrust Litigation7.12025
SunEdison, Inc., Securities Litigation7.02023
Qualcomm Antitrust Litigation6.62023
3M Combat Arms Earplug Products Liability Litigation6.52025
Invokana (Canagliflozin) Products Liability Litigation6.42023
CenturyLink Sales Practices and Securities Litigation6.42024
Gold King Mine Release in San Juan County, Colorado, on August 5, 20156.32024
Evenflo Company, Inc., Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation6.32026
Sensipar (Cinacalcet Hydrochloride Tablets) Antitrust Litigation6.22025
Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index Manipulation Antitrust Litigation6.22024
Fisher-Price Rock 'n Play Sleeper Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation6.12025
Capacitors Antitrust Litigation (No. III)5.72023
Restasis (Cyclosporine Ophthalmic Emulsion) Antitrust Litigation5.62023
Zetia (Ezetimibe) Antitrust Litigation5.52023
Rail Freight Fuel Surcharge Antitrust Litigation (No. II)5.42025
TikTok, Inc., Consumer Privacy Litigation5.42025
Xyrem (Sodium Oxybate) Antitrust Litigation5.32026
Smitty's/​CAM2 Tractor Hydraulic Fluid Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation4.82025
Society Insurance Company COVID-19 Business Interruption Protection Insurance Litigation4.82025
Ahern Rentals, Inc., Trade Secret Litigation4.72025
Profemur Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation4.72025
January Short Squeeze Trading Litigation4.32025
Xarelto (Rivaroxaban) ('310) Patent Litigation4.22026
Broiler Chicken Grower Antitrust Litigation (No. II)4.12025
SoClean, Inc., Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation4.12026
Palbociclib Patent Litigation4.12023
Erie COVID-19 Business Interruption Protection Insurance Litigation3.92024
All-Clad Metalcrafters, LLC, Cookware Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation3.92025
Capital One Consumer Data Security Breach Litigation3.72023
TransUnion Rental Screening Solutions, Inc., Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) Litigation3.62023
Sitagliptin Phosphate ('708 & '921) Patent Litigation3.62023
Seresto Flea and Tick Collar Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation3.52025
Mednax Services, Inc., Customer Data Security Breach Litigation3.42024
Crop Inputs Antitrust Litigation3.32024
Ozempic (Semaglutide) Patent Litigation3.02025
Air Crash Into the Java Sea on January 9, 20212.72025
Generali COVID-19 Travel Insurance Litigation2.72023
Lowe's Companies, Inc., Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Wage and Hour Litigation2.42023
Beyond Meat, Inc., Protein Content Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation2.42025
Family Dollar Stores, Inc., Pest Infestation Litigation2.22024
Overby-Seawell Company Customer Data Security Breach Litigation2.02025
Samsung Customer Data Security Breach Litigation1.92024
Passenger Vehicle Replacement Tires Antitrust Litigation1.82026
Taasera Licensing, LLC, Patent Litigation1.72024
Midwest Energy Emissions Corp. Patent Litigation1.72026
Fortra File Transfer Software Data Security Breach Litigation1.72025
T-Mobile Customer Data Security Breach Litigation1.62023
AVYCAZ (Ceftazidime and Avibactam) Patent Litigation1.62026
Johnson & Johnson Sunscreen Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation1.52023
Harley-Davidson Aftermarket Parts Marketing, Sales Practices and Antitrust Litigation1.52024
Pipe Flashing Patent Litigation1.52025
Evolve Bank & Trust Customer Data Security Breach Litigation1.42026
Procter & Gamble Aerosol Products Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation1.32023
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Tithing Litigation1.02025
Oral Phenylephrine Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation0.92024
SAP SE, et al., Patent Litigation0.92026
BPS Direct, LLC, and Cabela's, LLC, Wiretapping Litigation0.62024
Prepared Food Photos, Inc., Copyright Litigation0.42023

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How Many MDLs Close Each Year

The table counts MDL dockets by the calendar year in which they closed, with the median and mean duration of the MDLs closed that year. An MDL that was closed, reopened and closed again counts only in the year of its last closing.

25 MDLs closed in 2023, 21 in 2024 and 34 in 2025, with median durations of 5.7, 6.3 and 5.7 years.

From January through September 2026, 14 MDLs closed, with a median duration of 4.7 years. That partial year is not comparable with the full years before it.

The Panel's own fiscal-year reports count closings from October through September. Counted the same way, and counting every closing including those later reopened, our data show 32 MDLs closed in fiscal 2025 and 26 in fiscal 2024, the same numbers the Panel published.

Federal MDLs closed per calendar year, 2023 to September 2026

YearClosedMedian yrsMean yrs
2023255.76.4
2024216.36.6
2025345.76.8
2026144.85.8

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2026 covers January 1 through September 30 only. Calendar years run January through December, unlike the Panel's October-September fiscal year.

Download the Data and Cite This Study

Every table as a CSV file and in one Excel workbook, a short PDF summary and every chart as an image, free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0).

  • Federal MDLs closed January 2023 to September 2026, with years from transfer order to closingOne row per multidistrict litigation docket closed between January 1, 2023 and September 30, 2026, with JPML filing, transfer order and closing dates and the years from transfer order to closing; dockets reopened and pending on September 30, 2026 are excluded. · 94 rows · CSV, 13 KB
  • MDLs closed per calendar year and their duration, 2023 to September 2026Number of MDL dockets closed per calendar year with median and mean years from transfer order to closing; 2026 covers January through September only. · 4 rows · CSV, 1 KB
  • MDL duration by type of litigation, MDLs closed January 2023 to September 2026Median, mean, shortest and longest years from transfer order to closing, by litigation type assigned from keywords in the MDL caption. · 8 rows · CSV, 1 KB
  • How long closed MDLs lasted, January 2023 to September 2026Number and share of closed MDLs by years from the JPML transfer order to the closing of the docket. · 6 rows · CSV, 1 KB
  • All tables in one Excel workbookOne sheet per table plus an About sheet with sources, method and citation · Excel (.xlsx), 20 KB
  • Summary to print or forward (3 pages)Short answer, key figures, main chart, findings, method and citation · PDF, 194 KB

Charts for your story

Free to publish with a link to this page (CC BY 4.0). Each chart carries its source line. PNG, 2400 × 1350 pixels.

  • Bar chart: Closed federal MDLs by years from transfer order to closing, January 2023 to September 2026. 10 years or more: 19; Under 2 years: 18; 4 to 6 years: 15. Source: Settlement Insight.

    Closed federal MDLs by years from transfer order to closing, January 2023 to September 2026

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  • Bar chart: Median years from transfer order to closing, by type of MDL. Products liability: 8.4; Banking, securities and finance: 7.0; Antitrust: 6.9. Source: Settlement Insight.

    Median years from transfer order to closing, by type of MDL

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  • Bar chart: Closed federal MDLs by years from transfer order to closing (Years). National Security Agency Telecommunications Records Litigation: 17.7; Rail Freight Fuel Surcharge Antitrust Litigation: 17.7; Chinese-Manufactured Drywall Products Liability Litigation: 16.5. Source: Settlement Insight.

    Closed federal MDLs by years from transfer order to closing

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  • Column chart: Federal MDLs closed per calendar year, 2023 to September 2026 (Closed). 2023: 25; 2026: 14. Source: Settlement Insight.

    Federal MDLs closed per calendar year, 2023 to September 2026

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How to cite

Goldberg, L. (2026). Federal Multidistrict Litigation Duration — Years From Transfer Order to Closing for Every MDL Closed (January 2023–September 2026) [Data set]. Settlement Insight. https://settlementinsight.com/research/how-long-mdls-last

BibTeX
@dataset{goldberg_2026_how_long_mdls_last,
  author    = {Goldberg, Leonard},
  title     = {Federal Multidistrict Litigation Duration --- Years From Transfer Order to Closing for Every MDL Closed (January 2023--September 2026)},
  year      = {2026},
  publisher = {Settlement Insight},
  url       = {https://settlementinsight.com/research/how-long-mdls-last}
}

Journalists and researchers: you are welcome to use these figures and charts. Please link to this page as the source.

How We Measured

The data come from the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML), which publishes a monthly MDL Statistics Report limited to closed litigations for each calendar year. We used the year-end reports for 2023, 2024 and 2025 and the report dated October 1, 2026 for 2026, retrieved on October 16, 2026. Each report lists the MDL number, caption, transferee district, the date the matter was filed with the Panel, the date of the transfer order and the date the MDL was closed.

Checked against published figures

  • Number of MDL dockets closed in fiscal year 2025 (October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025): published 32, our count 32 (exact match).Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, Statistical Analysis of Multidistrict Litigation, Fiscal Year 2025
  • Number of MDL dockets closed in fiscal year 2024 (October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024): published 26, our count 26 (exact match).Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, Statistical Analysis of Multidistrict Litigation, Fiscal Year 2024
Full method and limits of the data

The study covers every MDL with a closing date from January 1, 2023 through September 30, 2026, one row per MDL docket. Earlier closings are not part of the reports we hold. Where an MDL was closed, reopened and closed again, we use the last closing date for its duration; this applies to the Suboxone (Buprenorphine Hydrochloride and Naloxone) Antitrust Litigation, first closed in April 2024 and again in October 2025. The Acetaminophen - ASD/ADHD Products Liability Litigation was closed in August 2024 but reopened and was pending again on September 30, 2026; it does not appear in any of the four closed-litigation reports, and although an earlier retrieval in our data still carries its August 2024 closing date, it is not counted as a closed MDL. Together, 2 MDLs closed in the period were later reopened.

Duration is the number of days from the transfer order to the closing date, converted to years using the average calendar year including leap days. The median and mean are taken over all MDLs; the 25th and 75th percentiles use linear interpolation between ranked durations (the inclusive method), and thresholds such as five or ten years count durations of at least that many years. Litigation types are assigned from keywords in each MDL's caption, in a fixed order, the first match deciding: data breach and privacy (data security breach, privacy, wiretapping, telecommunications records, Telephone Consumer Protection Act, driving data), antitrust, patent, copyright and trade secret, products liability, marketing and sales practices (marketing, sales practices, pest infestation, tithing), banking and securities, insurance, wage and hour (Fair Labor Standards). Products liability covers captions naming products liability or personal injury, the disaster cases (the Gold King Mine release and the Java Sea air crash) and four product-defect MDLs whose captions name the product but not the legal theory: General Motors Ignition Switch, FCA Monostable Electronic Gearshift, Dicamba Herbicides and Syngenta Corn. A caption such as "Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability" therefore counts as products liability, and one ending in "Antitrust" as antitrust.

To check completeness, we counted closings by the Panel's fiscal year, counting every closing, including the first Suboxone closing and the August 2024 closing of the later reopened Acetaminophen MDL, as the Panel does. Without the Acetaminophen closing, which falls in fiscal 2024, the four closed-litigation reports alone give one closing fewer for fiscal 2024. Our data give 32 closings for fiscal 2025 and 26 for fiscal 2024, matching the Panel's published statistical analyses exactly.

What this data cannot tell you

  • The study looks only at MDLs that have closed. MDLs still pending on September 30, 2026, including some of the largest mass torts, are not included, and many of them have already run longer than the median here. The result answers how long the MDLs that closed recently lasted, not how long an MDL opened today will last.
  • Closing the MDL docket is not the same as resolving every case or paying every claimant. Individual cases can settle, be dismissed or be sent back to their original courts long before the docket closes, and settlement payments can continue after it closes.
  • The data cover closings from January 2023 on. MDLs that closed earlier, and changes over a longer period, are not measured.
  • A closed MDL can be reopened. The 2026 figures reflect the Panel's report of October 1, 2026; a docket listed as closed there could be reopened later and show a later closing date in a future report.
  • The litigation types are our grouping by caption keywords, not an official JPML classification, and several types contain only a few MDLs.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does an MDL take?

Federal MDLs closed between January 2023 and September 2026 lasted a median of 5.9 years from the Panel's transfer order to the closing of the docket. A quarter closed within 3.1 years and a quarter lasted longer than 9.5 years.

How long do mass tort cases take?

Products liability MDLs, which include the large personal injury mass torts, lasted a median of 8.4 years from creation to closing among the 27 that closed between January 2023 and September 2026. Individual claims can settle earlier, and payments can continue after the docket closes.

What is the longest-running MDL that has closed recently?

Among MDLs closed since January 2023, the National Security Agency Telecommunications Records Litigation (MDL No. 1791) ran longest, 17.7 years after its transfer order in 2006. The Rail Freight Fuel Surcharge Antitrust Litigation followed at 17.7 years.

How many MDLs close each year?

Counted by the Panel's October-to-September fiscal year, 32 MDLs closed in fiscal 2025 and 26 in fiscal 2024, the same numbers the Panel published. By calendar year, 34 MDLs closed in 2025, 21 in 2024 and 25 in 2023. Calendar-year counts include each MDL only in the year of its last closing.

How long does it take for the JPML to create an MDL?

For the MDLs closed between January 2023 and September 2026, the median time from the motion filed with the Panel to its transfer order was 2.8 months.

Does a closed MDL mean everyone has been paid?

No. The closing date marks the end of the MDL docket in the transferee court. Many cases settle or are dismissed before that date, and settlement programs can keep paying claims after it.

Sources

  • MDL Statistics Report - Docket Summary Listing, Closed Between 1/1/2026 - 10/1/2026 — Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation
  • MDL Statistics Report - Docket Summary Listing, Closed Between 1/1/2025 - 1/5/2026 — Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation
  • MDL Statistics Report - Docket Summary Listing, Closed Between 1/1/2024 - 1/2/2025 — Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation
  • MDL Statistics Report - Docket Summary Listing, Closed Between 1/1/2023 - 1/2/2024 — Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation
  • Statistical Analysis of Multidistrict Litigation Under 28 U.S.C. § 1407, Fiscal Year 2025 — Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation
  • Statistical Analysis of Multidistrict Litigation Under 28 U.S.C. § 1407, Fiscal Year 2024 — Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation
  • Independent analysis. Settlement Insight is not a law firm and not affiliated with any agency named here. Analysis by Leonard Goldberg, Editor. How we work: methodology, our data.

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