Bellwether trial

Definition
A bellwether trial (also called a bellwether case) is "a test case. ‘Bellwether’ trials should produce representative verdicts and settlements."

Overview
"The term 'bellwether' is 'derived from the ancient practice of belling a wether (a male sheep) selected to lead his flock. The ultimate success of the wether selected to wear the bell was determined by whether the flock had confidence that the wether would not lead them astray, and so it is in the mass tort context.'"Grant Heilman Photography, Inc. v. The McGraw-Hill Companies, __ F.Supp.3d __, Slip Op., at 3 n.2 (E.D. Pa. June 30, 2015) (citation omitted).

Bellwether trials, which are most frequently used in multi-district mass tort cases, are recognized as an effective means for a trial judge to enhance settlement prospects or resolve common issues or claims in complex litigations.