Multidistrict litigation has become the gravitational center of modern mass tort practice — absorbing skyrocketing dockets, commanding national attention and shaping high‑stakes product liability disputes. Yet as MDLs grow in size and complexity, so do delays.

Early resolution is increasingly elusive, discovery battles drag and inefficiencies compound. At the same time, courts, litigants and commentators are calling for meaningful reform to streamline these sprawling proceedings.

The social media addiction MDL, In re: Social Media Adolescent Addiction/Personal Injury Product Liability Litigation, illustrates these timeline challenges in real time.

Centralized in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in late 2022, it was in pretrial proceedings for approximately 38 months before reaching its first bellwether trial this year.

Click here to read the full article written by Joshua Klarfeld, Aneca Lasley, and Angela Rinehart, published in Law360.