Topic

Legal Guides

Explanatory guides to US civil procedure and mass tort practice: how multidistrict litigation works, how it differs from a class action, and how filing deadlines are calculated.

5 articles

Last updated October 13, 2026

Section card for the legal guides: how federal litigation procedure actually works.

The guides in this section explain the machinery that sits behind litigation reporting. They are written for readers who want to understand a news story, check a notice they received, or work out how long they have to act, without hiring anyone.

They are deliberately generic. Procedure is national (the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, statutes such as 28 U.S.C. 1407), but filing deadlines, damages rules and pre-suit requirements are state-specific, and a guide cannot substitute for the rules of the court that would hear a particular claim. Where a rule depends on state legislation, the guide says so and points to the statute rather than paraphrasing it as a national rule.

Available guides

How mass tort litigation works describes the path from individual filings to coordinated pretrial proceedings and resolution, and who is in charge at each stage.
MDL vs class action explains the difference that most coverage gets wrong, including what an MDL does not do.
Statutes of limitation in injury claims explains how deadlines are calculated, why the discovery rule matters, and which events can extend or toll a deadline.

Two further guides cover practical steps: what a settlement notice establishes and what to keep when documenting a product injury claim.

Legal Guides

Statute of Limitations for Injury Claims: How Deadlines Work

How injury claim deadlines work in the US: the two to three year range, the discovery rule for latent injuries, tolling for minors, and government claim rules.

October 13, 2026 7 min read

Legal Guides

MDL vs. Class Action: How the Two Federal Procedures Differ

An MDL coordinates separate federal lawsuits for pretrial work under 28 U.S.C. 1407; a class action is one certified lawsuit that binds the class.

October 13, 2026 7 min read

Legal Guides

How to Verify a Mass Tort or Class Action Settlement Notice

How to check whether a settlement notice is genuine: who sends notices, how to find the court-appointed administrator, what a notice does and does not establish, and the red flags …

October 13, 2026 5 min read

Legal Guides

How Mass Tort Litigation Works: From Filing to Resolution

Most mass tort claims move as individual lawsuits coordinated for pretrial work in a federal MDL. How centralization, discovery, and bellwether trials work.

October 13, 2026 7 min read

Legal Guides

Documenting a Product Injury Claim: What to Keep, and Where to Report It

Practical steps for documenting a product-related injury: preserving the product and packaging, collecting medical and purchase records, and filing reports with the FDA and CPSC …

October 13, 2026 6 min read

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