Mass tort litigation has become defined by volume. The number of Multi-District Litigations (MDLs) has grown steadily since the 1990s, and today MDLs account for more than half of the federal civil docket. Many now involve tens of thousands of individual claims. Each filing comes with its own allegations, facts and procedural history, creating a mountain of data that must be managed before it can be understood. For in-house and outside counsel alike, the challenge is not simply litigating cases, it is managing scale.

At KCIC, we recently reviewed the five largest MDL dockets by pending actions through data provided by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML). What became clear is just how much valuable information lies buried in the docket data itself — details such as jurisdiction, filing date, plaintiff firms, and defendants. On its own, the data is flat and unmanageable. But when processed and visualized, they can reveal powerful insights.

Dashboards for all five are available, and below we highlight two examples.

From Raw Data to Dashboards

The underlying data for these dashboards includes civil action numbers, case captions and associated metadata. On its own, it is not analysis-ready. To make it meaningful, we process and standardize it. For example, civil action numbers can be translated to determine which district court the filings originated in. That, in turn, allows us to track cases to states. Other fields, like plaintiff firms and defendants, can be aggregated to show which players dominate a particular MDL.

The result is a dashboard, either static or dynamically updating, that sits on top of a structured database (or data set like Excel). A dashboard can display any field being tracked and refresh automatically as new filings occur. Rather than scrolling through thousands of entries, counsel can filter by state, view filings over time, or see which firms are most active.

Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Litigation Dashboard

One of our sample dashboards focuses on the talc MDL, which is one of the most prominent proceedings on the federal docket.

• Filings by Year: A bar chart shows filings over the past decade, with overall growth over time. Lower filing periods align with J&J’s bankruptcy petitions, which temporarily halted new cases.
• Filings by State: A color-coded map illustrates how cases originated across nearly every state before being consolidated in New Jersey.
• Plaintiff Firms: A list of the firms most active in the litigation.
• Types of Defendants: A breakdown of product manufacturers, talc suppliers, and distributors/retailers.
• Custom Fields: Bankruptcy petition and dismissal dates incorporated into the dashboard, highlighting how external events shape filing patterns.

This combination of visuals turns raw docket entries into a story: the spread of filings nationwide, the influence of bankruptcy strategy, and the firms and defendants most central to the litigation.

Hair Relaxer Litigation Dashboard

Another dashboard highlights one of the newest large MDLs: hair relaxer products.

• Filings by Year: The data show a surge of filings when the MDL was created, with activity continuing thereafter.
• Filings by State: While earlier cases had been scattered across jurisdictions, most filings in 2023 and beyond were filed directly into the Northern District of Illinois.
• Plaintiff Firms: The firms most active in driving this MDL, based on docket data.
• Types of Defendants: Cosmetic manufacturers alleged to have formulated and marketed relaxer products, along with the parent corporations and brands associated with them.

The concentration of filings in Illinois highlights how quickly an MDL can attract new cases once established. The plaintiff firm data offers an early view of which firms are shaping the litigation’s direction.

Why Dashboards Matter

Dashboards are more than visuals; they are tools for managing litigation at scale. They update automatically as new data comes in. They can be configured to track any field, from case captions to key deadlines. And they make it possible to see trends, risks, and concentrations at a glance, rather than through piecemeal reports.

For counsel, the benefits are practical: faster reporting to clients, stronger case evaluations, and better-informed strategy around motion practice, bellwether selection, and settlement negotiations.

Conclusion

The largest MDLs demonstrate just how much volume and complexity now define mass tort litigation. With dockets numbering in the tens of thousands, it is no longer feasible to rely on traditional litigation management strategies. Dashboards are a useful addition to the toolkit to transform raw data into clear, accessible summaries, enabling counsel to spot trends, monitor progress, and communicate risks more effectively.

At KCIC, we have supported defendants and their counsel through every stage of MDL proceedings. Our work has included claims analysis, forecasting/risk evaluation, insurance coverage considerations, motion practice, bellwether selection, and settlement strategy. By turning large volumes of litigation data into structured insights and visualizations, we help defense teams move beyond complexity to make informed decisions in even the most challenging mass tort environments.

Natalia Miranda, Bebe Limanowski, and Ibrahim Kabia also contributed to this post.