What can occur when civil actions involve common questions of fact in different districts?

When civil actions involve common questions of fact in different districts, they may be transferred for coordinated pretrial proceedings. This approach is beneficial as it promotes efficiency and consistency in handling cases that share similar issues. Coordinated pretrial proceedings allow the involved parties to address relevant pretrial issues collectively, which can simplify discovery and potentially lead to more effective settlement negotiations prior to trial.

Merging cases into one trial is not a common practice for handling actions across different districts, as jurisdictional and venue considerations must be taken into account. Hearing each case independently, while a possible outcome, does not leverage the efficiencies that come from coordination. Automating the dismissal of cases would not address the substantive issues at hand and does not reflect standard judicial practice in these scenarios. Therefore, the correct procedure when facing common factual questions in various districts is indeed the transfer for coordinated pretrial proceedings.