Passenger Trains > Amtrak, plaintiffs seek to combine Train 188 lawsuits

Amtrak seeks to combine lawsuits over fatal Philadelphia derailment
Reuters
July 1 | By Jonathan Stempel

> Amtrak has asked a U.S. judicial panel to consolidate lawsuits
> before a single judge in Philadelphia over the May 12 train
> derailment that killed eight people and injured more than 200.
>
> The railroad on Tuesday joined many plaintiffs in requesting that
> the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation appoint U.S.
> District Judge Legrome Davis, who already oversees 16 cases stemming
> from the accident, to handle all 22 existing lawsuits plus "numerous"
> others it expects to be filed.
>
> Passengers on Train 188 have sued Amtrak in Pennsylvania, New York
> and New Jersey over injuries linked to the May 12 derailment, which
> occurred when the train left the track along a northbound curve in
> Philadelphia after traveling at more than twice the speed limit.
>
> The consolidation of similar lawsuits can make litigation more
> efficient and less expensive.
>
> Amtrak has said its liability from a single accident is capped at
> $200 million, under a 1997 federal law.
>
> It is unclear when the judicial panel, which is comprised of seven
> federal judges and known as the MDL panel, will rule.
>
> Congress created the MDL panel in 1968 to decide when civil lawsuits
> involving common questions of fact should be combined before a
> single judge, to prevent duplicative and wasteful litigation as well
> as inconsistent court rulings.
>
> The case is In re: Amtrak Train Derailment in Philadelphia, PA on
> May 12, 2015, U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, No.
> 15-04791.

Amtrak, plaintiffs seek to combine lawsuits



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/02/15 17:08 by GenePoon.