Glossary
A representative test case tried early in an MDL to gauge jury reactions and inform settlement valuation across the remaining inventory.
A bellwether trial is one of a small set of representative individual cases selected from a larger MDL or coordinated proceeding and tried to verdict to test claims, defenses, expert testimony, and damages models. While bellwether outcomes do not bind the remaining inventory, the verdicts and rulings strongly influence global settlement negotiations and set valuation benchmarks for similarly situated plaintiffs.