Yesterday, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation transferred 10 Chinese drywall cases to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana for coordinated pretrial proceedings. The JPML said it would treat dozens of additional cases as potential ad-ons. The ruling came roughly three weeks after the panel initially reviewed the matter at its May hearing session, in which it considered the possibility of consolidating four actions in the Southern District of Florida, three actions in the Middle District of Florida and one action each in the Northern District of Florida, the Eastern District of Louisiana and the Southern District of Ohio.

The panel found that the 10 claims include specific similar facts, which all occurred in the Eastern District of Louisiana. Grouping the cases will assist in the elimination of duplicative discovery, prevent inconsistent pretrial rulings and conserve the resources of the parties and the judiciary.

The panel assigned the cases to Judge Eldon E. Fallon, who it said “has extensive experience in multidistrict litigation as well as the ability and temperament to steer this complex litigation on a steady and expeditious course.”

You can view the Transfer Order online here.

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