Okla. Stat. tit. 20, § 20-81: Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation

A. At the discretion of the Supreme Court, the Court may create

a Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. The panel may consist

of five (5) active judges selected by the Chief Justice of the

Supreme Court. The judges may be either judges of the district

court or appellate judges. The members of the panel shall serve at

the pleasure of the Chief Justice.

B. If there exist a sufficient number of cases to justify

consolidation and if the cases are at a comparable stage in the

litigation, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation may

transfer civil actions involving one or more common questions of

fact pending in the same or different district courts to any

district court for consolidated or coordinated proceedings, giving

due weight, consideration and preference to the district court

wherein the first civil action was filed.

C. If the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation finds that

the civil actions are not at comparable stages in the litigation,

the Panel may stay one or more of the actions pending resolution of

the common questions of fact in one of the other actions, giving due

weight, consideration and preference to the first civil action filed

and the action which has reached the furthest stage of litigation.

D. Nothing in this section shall expand the existing law as to

the binding effect of a court’s rulings in one of the actions to the

other actions prior to the date of consolidation or as to any case

that is stayed by the Panel.

E. A transfer or stay may be made by the Judicial Panel on

Multidistrict Litigation if the panel determines that the transfer

or stay shall:

1. Be for the convenience of the parties and witnesses; and

2. Promote the just and efficient conduct of actions giving due

weight and consideration to binding or nonbinding effects of prior

and future court rulings on the parties to the cases to be

consolidated or stayed.

F. A transfer or stay may be for the remainder of an action or

for any particular stage of an action.

G. A judge who is qualified and authorized by law to preside in

the court to which an action is transferred pursuant to this section

may preside over the transferred action as if the transferred action

were originally filed in that court.

H. The Supreme Court shall promulgate rules for the

implementation of this section.