Will I need to travel to appear at trial?

In most mass tort cases, only one or a few plaintiffs actually need to appear at trial. These are plaintiffs whose cases involve facts and legal issues that are representative of the other plaintiffs.

In a class action, these plaintiffs are referred to as the “class representatives” or “lead plaintiffs.” In a MDL or MCL, they are plaintiffs whose claims are litigated in “bellwether trials,” or trials that can forecast what will likely happen in future litigation.

So, unless you are a lead plaintiff or your case is involved in a bellwether trial, you likely won’t have to appear at trial.