What is the difference between a class action lawsuit and a multi-district litigation?

A class action lawsuit and a multi-district litigation (MDL) are both types of civil cases in which a group of people sue a particular defendant. However, the two types of cases differ in the way the groups of people are formed and the type of relief sought. In a class action lawsuit, a group of individuals with the same or similar legal claims (known as the plaintiff class) sue one or more individuals or entities (known as defendants). The class is defined by a common legal claim and Injury, and all members of the class have experienced the same outcome from the defendant’s conduct. In most cases, relief is awarded to all members of the class. In a multi-district litigation, a series of related legal cases across different jurisdictions are grouped together for coordinated pretrial proceedings and a single trial. These cases usually involve a large number of plaintiffs and multiple defendants, but the legal claims of each plaintiff are usually different. For example, an MDL might include cases alleging environmental damage, medical injuries, and product liability resulting from the actions of a single defendant. Unlike a class action, relief is usually awarded to individual plaintiffs, rather than to the entire group. Thus, the primary difference between a class action lawsuit and a multi-district litigation is that in a class action, one group of plaintiffs with a common legal claim are suing one group of defendants and all members of the class receive relief while in a multi-district litigation, a larger group of plaintiffs suing multiple defendants have different claims and relief is only awarded to individual plaintiffs.

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What is the difference between a class action lawsuit and a multi-district litigation?

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