IN RE: Air Crash at Los Angeles, California, on March 1, 1978

- Case MDL No. 419 Document 2 Filed 05/20/15 Page 1 of 2 i
JUDISIN SCs ay i - Co :
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APR -2 1353 Yak] h	DOCKET NO. 419 HH TE hd : | SE
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BEFORE THE JUDICIAL PANEL ON MULTIDISTRICT LITIGATION	:L:. : zl ToT
IN RE AIR CRASH AT LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ON MARCH 1, oo
1978 : .
ORDER DENYING TRANSFER
Presently before the Panel is a motion, pursuant to BEER E IRIE TONER
28 U.S.C. §1407, brought by Continental Air Lines, Inc., EERE SE
a defendant in the three actions listed on the attached oo EE
Schedule A, for transfer of the actions pending in the District Soe
of New Jersey and the Southern District of Texas to the ee
Central District of California for coordinated or consolidated ’
pretrial proceedings with the action pending there.
On the basis of the papers filed and the hearing held, Lo
we find that Section 1407 transfer would neither serve the Poo Co
convenience of the parties and witnesses nor further the : : on
just and efficient conduct of the litigation. Given the ‘ -
minimal number of actions before us, movant has failed to Lo
persuade us that any common questions of fact involved in nL
these actions are sufficiently complex, and that the accompanying :
discovery will be so time-consuming, as to justify Section
1407 transfer. See In re Scotch Whiskey Antitrust Litigation, :
299 F. Supp. 543, 544 (J.P.M.L. 1969). Furthermore, we observe :
that a discovery cutoff date of April 28, 1980, has been : : Co
set in the California action. We note that suitable alternatives ET :
to transfer under Section 1407 exist	in order to minimize :
the possibility of duplicative discovery and/or conflicting
pretrial rulings. See, e.g., In re Penitentiary Postal :
Procedure Litigation, 465 F. Supp. 1293, 1294-95 (J.P.M.L.
1979); In re Commercial Lighting Products, Inc. Contract
Litigation,	415 F. Supp. 392, 393 (J.P.M.L. 1976). See
also Manual for Complex Litigation, Parts I and II, §§3.11 Pe
(rev. ed. 1977). IE
IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that the motion for transfer
pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §1407 pertaining to the actions listed
on the following Schedule A be, and the same hereby is,
DENIED.
FOR THE PANEL: CT : ’
Andrew A. 2 Cp ~	Chairman :

Case MDL No. 419 Document2 Filed 05/20/15 Page	2 of 2
Schedule A
( MDL-419 -- In re Air Crash Disaster at Los Angeles, California. :- on March 1, 1978 :
Southern District of Texas ’ :
George Abert, et al. v. Continental Airlines, Inc.,
C.A. No. H-79-2476
District of New Jersey he
George Lambros, Jr., et al. v. Continental Airlines, Inc.,
et al., C.A. No. 79-2349 :
Central District of California
Herbert Devries, et al. v. Continental Airlines, Inc.,
et al., C.A. No. CV79-815-1H .