MDL is short for multi-district litigation. This type of litigation is routine in the area of product recalls. When a product like the DePuy ACR hip is recalled, there are often thousands of plaintiffs. The judicial system allows for the plaintiffs to form a group, or class action, which will present the claims as a whole. This type of litigation saves plaintiffs a lot of time and money by consolidating all the individual cases. The MDL hears the cases as a whole and makes a decision that affects the entire class.