What is an MCL?

“MCL” stands for “multicounty litigation.” An MCL is similar to multidistrict litigation (MDL). While an MDL centralizes individual lawsuits filed in different federal district courts, an MCL centralizes separate lawsuits filed in different counties within a state court system.

The court that oversees the MCL typically is a specialized court within the state court system, like a “business court,” or it is the court located in the county where the defendant’s headquarters are located.

An MCL, like an MDL, can make pretrial matters move along much more smoothly and eliminate the risk of inconsistent rulings in different courts.