By Juan Carlos Rodriguez

Law360, New York (February 09, 2012, 6:57 PM ET) -- The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation on Thursday declined to join 13 lawsuits dealing with allegedly defective plumbing components, saying the dissimilarity of the claims and case management challenges outweighed the benefits of centralization.

Every dispute relates to allegedly defective high-zinc-content brass, or yellow brass, plumbing fittings installed in homes or other buildings. The components allegedly deteriorate and corrode when put in contact with water and can become porous, brittle, and blocked with zinc oxide or zinc carbonate, which leads to restricted water flow or...