Efficient plaintiff management is critical in complex litigation. As multidistrict litigation (MDL) dockets continue to grow, attorneys increasingly need reliable ways to identify, organize, and track plaintiffs as cases are filed.

Two competing truths have played out during the past decade: As the federal Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system continues to stagnate while demands increase, MDL Centrality has pushed to provide the information needed to make this volume of litigation manageable.  

Keeping Pace with New Filings

In large MDLs, new cases can be filed daily in courts nationwide. Traditionally, tracking these filings requires:

• Regular monitoring of PACER dockets
• Manual downloading of case records
• Data entry into separate claimant management systems
• Ongoing reconciliation between court records and internal databases

These manual processes consume significant administrative resources and increase the risk of delays, duplicate records, and data inconsistencies.

How MDL Centrality Solves the Problem

MDL Centrality continuously monitors court activity and automatically downloads relevant PACER records as new cases are filed. Rather than requiring staff to manually search for and retrieve court documents, the platform brings these filings directly into a dedicated environment.

Once a new case is identified, users can leverage MDL Centrality‘s workflow tools to assign unique plaintiff IDs and maintain a consistent identifier structure across the litigation.

Automated PACER Record Retrieval

MDL Centrality’s automated PACER integration helps teams:

• Detect newly filed cases as they enter the litigation
• Automatically retrieve case metadata and filings
• Reduce the administrative burden of docket monitoring
• Create a more current and comprehensive view of the litigation landscape

By automating the intake and docket monitoring processes, organizations can focus on litigation management rather than document collection.

A Step Ahead: Assigning Plaintiff IDs

A unique plaintiff ID serves as the foundation for effective claimant management. These identifiers allow administrators and firms to:

• Track plaintiffs across multiple workflows
• Link submissions, records, and supporting documentation
• Maintain accurate reporting and analytics
• Reduce the risk of duplicate claimant records

Using MDL Centrality, authorized users can quickly assign plaintiff IDs as part of the intake and case management process. Because new PACER records are automatically imported into the platform, users have immediate access to newly filed case information and can establish plaintiff identifiers without waiting for manual processing.

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BrownGreer Partner Jake Woody manages MDL Centrality a custom-built platform designed specifically to modernize and streamline the exchange of information in MDLs and other mass tort cases. Jake has overseen the design, implementation and day to day operations of MDL Centrality since its inception in 2015.

BrownGreer Senior Counsel Grey Ligon co-manages MDL Centrality. In this role, Grey oversees the deployment, operation, and ongoing support of more than 40 active cases utilizing the platform.

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