The proportion of federal civil cases that proceed through centralized multidistrict litigations (MDLs) has reached a record high, according to a new analysis from the Duke Law Center for Judicial Studies.

In 2014, 36 percent, or 120,449 actions, were pending in MDLs. The total number of actions in federal court was 334,141. That is the highest ever proportion that MDL dockets have made up of cases in the country since 1999.