FedEx Ground Package System, Inc. v. United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation

In series of class actions alleging that defendant wrongfully classified plaintiffs as independent contractors, Ct. of Appeals denied defendant's request for issuance of mandamus directing Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) to revoke certain remand orders in 12 out of 34 similar class actions where summary judgment orders in remanded cases, as well as in 22 remaining cases had resolved claims regarding plaintiff's independent contractor status, and where remanded cases had other pending issues to be resolved. JPML was not required to issue partial final judgments under Rule 54(b) in remanded cases so as to require that plaintiff take immediate appeals in all 34 cases so as to ensure that any appeal in all 34 cases would come to same appellate circuit. Moreover, defendant had failed to establish entitlement to mandamus relief where procedural course taken by JPML was calculated to prevent piecemeal appeals with respect to remanded cases.