Depo-Provera lawsuit

The docket record

Full docket title: IN RE: Depo-Provera (Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate) Products Liability Litigation. Programmatic record page: MDL 3140.

Depo-Provera lawsuit update — October 2026

What changed this month: in the October 1, 2026 report, MDL 3140 rose from 6,403 to 6,412 pending actions (+9). Figures come from the Judicial Panel's own monthly report and are restated here each month.

As of the JPML's September 1, 2026 report, 6,403 actions are pending in MDL No. 3140, In re: Depo-Provera (Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate) Products Liability Litigation, before Judge M. Casey Rodgers in the Northern District of Florida, Pensacola Division, up from 6,294 a month earlier. The docket is growing, not closing. On June 15, 2026 the court entered Pretrial Order No. 30A confirming that Pfizer, Pharmacia LLC, Pharmacia & Upjohn Co. LLC and Plaintiffs' Lead Counsel had reached an agreement, and the order states it "will not resolve all cases in the MDL, given that only Plaintiffs who meet the eligibility criteria agreed to by the Parties will have an opportunity to participate." On August 5, 2026 Case Management Order No. 13 appointed BrownGreer PLC as settlement administrator. This is a private agreement between the parties, not a class-action settlement, so no court approves it and there is no fairness hearing. Its financial terms have never been published. The part that matters to anyone deciding what to do now is in Case Management Order No. 14, entered August 10, 2026: the only plaintiffs permitted to file on the settlement's administrative docket are those who "signed engagement letters with counsel to pursue their MPA Product claim on or before June 11, 2026" and who are eligible under the agreement. Someone who retains a lawyer today is a "Future Filed Plaintiff" in the court's terms — a Litigating Plaintiff, on the litigation track, not the settlement track. The registration deadline for claimants who do qualify is November 30, 2026. For those litigating, nothing on the merits has been decided. Per the same order, the defendants' federal preemption motion "has been argued and is awaiting decision," and general-causation expert discovery is complete with the parties having deposed one another's experts, but no ruling has issued on either threshold question.

Sources: Pending Multidistrict Litigation Dockets by Actions Pendi… · MDL No. 3140 Transfer Order · In re: Depo-Provera (Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate) P… · Pretrial Order No. 17 (Threshold Proof of Use and Injury …; full list at the end of this page.

What the lawsuits are about

Depo-Provera CI and Depo-SubQ Provera 104, sold by Pfizer and its Pharmacia subsidiaries, are injectable forms of medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) used as long-acting hormonal birth control, given by injection roughly every three months. Plaintiffs allege that repeated, long-term use of the drug is associated with an increased risk of intracranial meningioma, a tumor that grows in the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, and that Pfizer knew or should have known of this risk and failed to adequately warn patients and doctors. These are allegations made in plaintiffs' complaints, not proven facts. On December 12, 2025, the FDA approved a labeling supplement adding meningioma risk information to the Warnings and Precautions and Patient Counseling sections for both formulations, instructing prescribers to discontinue the drug if a meningioma is diagnosed.

As lawsuits accumulated in multiple federal districts, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation centralized 27 actions from eight districts into MDL No. 3140 on February 7, 2025, assigning the litigation to Judge M. Casey Rodgers in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Pensacola Division. Early pretrial orders required plaintiffs to submit a Plaintiff Proof of Use/Injury Questionnaire, with supporting documentation of product use and meningioma diagnosis, through the BrownGreer-administered MDL Centrality system (Pretrial Order No. 17, entered March 14, 2025, later amended by Pretrial Order No. 22 and 22A).

As of the JPML's report dated September 1, 2026, 6,403 actions were pending in the MDL, up 109 from the prior month. On June 15, 2026, the parties announced a global settlement agreement in principle (Pretrial Order No. 30A), and on August 5, 2026 the court appointed BrownGreer PLC as settlement administrator (Case Management Order No. 13). A Rule 702/general-causation hearing and case management conference are scheduled for September 18, 2026, covering claims that fall outside the settlement's eligibility criteria. Parallel coordinated proceedings over Depo-Provera meningioma claims are also underway in Delaware and New York state courts.

Injuries named in the filings

• Intracranial meningioma, a tumor arising from the meninges (the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord), following repeated use of injectable medroxyprogesterone acetate
• Complications and secondary injuries plaintiffs attribute to meningioma diagnosis and treatment, including symptoms requiring monitoring, surgery, or radiation

Principal defendants: Pfizer Inc.; Pharmacia LLC; Pharmacia & Upjohn Co. LLC.

Sources: Pending Multidistrict Litigation Dockets by Actions Pendi… · MDL No. 3140 Transfer Order · In re: Depo-Provera (Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate) P… · Pretrial Order No. 17 (Threshold Proof of Use and Injury …; full list at the end of this page.

Who the filings say qualifies

The Master Settlement Agreement's eligibility criteria have not been made public as of this writing. The closest public-record description of who is in this litigation comes from Pretrial Order No. 17, which sets out what every MDL plaintiff must document, and Pretrial Order No. 30A, which describes the settlement as open only to plaintiffs who meet criteria agreed to by the parties.

• Documented use of Depo-Provera CI or Depo-SubQ Provera 104 (or in some cases a generic medroxyprogesterone acetate injectable), evidenced by medical, pharmacy, or insurance records
• A diagnosis of intracranial meningioma, supported by initial documentary proof submitted through the court's Plaintiff Proof of Use/Injury Questionnaire
• A case already filed in, removed to, or transferred into MDL No. 3140 as of the relevant deadline
• For settlement eligibility specifically: criteria agreed to by Pfizer and Plaintiffs' Lead Counsel that have not yet been publicly disclosed; the parties have said the deal is expected to reach about 80% of pending MDL plaintiffs, but that figure comes from plaintiff-side law firm reporting, not a court order

Source: Pretrial Order No. 17, Threshold Proof of Use and Injury Requirements, MDL No. 3140 (N.D. Fla., Mar. 14, 2025).

These are the criteria in the public record, not a promise about any individual case. A law firm evaluates each case on its own facts, and limitations periods vary by state.

Key dates

1. February 7, 2025The JPML centralizes 27 Depo-Provera meningioma lawsuits from eight federal districts into MDL No. 3140, assigning the litigation to Judge M. Casey Rodgers in the Northern District of Florida. source
2. March 14, 2025Court enters Pretrial Order No. 17, requiring every plaintiff to submit a Plaintiff Proof of Use/Injury Questionnaire with documentary proof of drug use and meningioma diagnosis. source
3. December 12, 2025FDA approves a labeling supplement adding meningioma risk warnings to Depo-Provera CI and Depo-SubQ Provera 104 prescribing information. source
4. June 15, 2026Court enters Pretrial Order No. 30A, confirming Pfizer and Plaintiffs' Lead Counsel reached a global settlement agreement in principle covering plaintiffs who meet eligibility criteria; the Rule 702/general-causation hearing is continued in light of the agreement. source
5. August 5, 2026Court enters Case Management Order No. 13, appointing BrownGreer PLC as settlement administrator to conduct eligibility determinations and manage the settlement program. source
6. August 10, 2026Case Management Order No. 14 sets the terms for ongoing litigation, defines "Future Filed Plaintiffs," and limits the settlement's administrative docket to those who signed with counsel on or before June 11, 2026. source
7. September 1, 2026JPML's monthly pending-actions report lists 6,403 actions pending in MDL No. 3140, up 109 from the prior month's report. source
8. September 18, 2026Case management conference scheduled, to be followed by a Rule 702/general-causation hearing addressing claims outside the settlement's eligibility criteria. source
9. November 30, 2026Registration deadline for claimants eligible to participate in the settlement program. source

Questions people ask

Sources: Pending Multidistrict Litigation Dockets by Actions Pendi… · MDL No. 3140 Transfer Order · In re: Depo-Provera (Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate) P… · Pretrial Order No. 17 (Threshold Proof of Use and Injury …; full list at the end of this page.

Track this docket

We re-read the JPML report on the first business day of each month. Get an email when this record changes: case count, status, or a settlement development.

Sources

1. U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, “Pending MDL Dockets by Actions Pending,” monthly reports March 3, 2025 to October 1, 2026. Transferee court: Northern District of Florida, M. Casey Rodgers.
2. Pending Multidistrict Litigation Dockets by Actions Pending, Report Date 9/1/2026, U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. Accessed September 3, 2026.
3. MDL No. 3140 Transfer Order, U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. Accessed September 3, 2026.
4. In re: Depo-Provera (Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3140, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida. Accessed September 3, 2026.
5. Pretrial Order No. 17 (Threshold Proof of Use and Injury Requirements), U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida. Accessed September 3, 2026.
6. NDA 020246/S-074, NDA 021583/S-045 Supplement Approval Letter (meningioma labeling), U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed September 3, 2026.
7. Pretrial Order No. 30A (Application of Rulings on Preemption and Rule 702 Motions to All Individual Actions), U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida. Accessed September 3, 2026.
8. Case Management Order No. 13 (Appointment of Settlement Administrator), U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida. Accessed September 3, 2026.
9. Depo-Provera Lawsuit Settlement Agreement May Resolve Eligible Meningioma Claims in MDL, AboutLawsuits.com (legal news; as summarized by plaintiff-side sources). Accessed September 3, 2026.
10. Depo-Provera Settlement (2026): Payouts & Eligibility, Drugwatch (plaintiff-side; as summarized by plaintiff-side sources). Accessed September 3, 2026.
11. Depo-Provera Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3140 Frequently Asked Questions, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida. Accessed September 3, 2026.
12. Case Management Order No. 14 (Case Management Order for Ongoing Litigation), MDL No. 3140 (Aug. 10, 2026), U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida. Accessed September 8, 2026.

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