MDL Judge Issues Order Wiping Docket Clean; Leaves Doors Open

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Silica MDL Judge Janis Graham Jack has issued an order explaining her reasons for effectively shutting down the federal docket, after she remanded more than a dozen cases held up following her landmark decision in June. In Re: Silica Products Liability Litigation, MDL Docket No. 1553 (S.D. Texas).

According to the Nov. 22 order, Judge Jack said her court would retain jurisdiction over the document depository created by nearly two years of litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. The judge also stated that the MDL will remain operational in the …