Depo-Provera Lawsuits

The June 2026 Settlement in Principle

In June 2026, Pfizer and the lawyers the court appointed to lead the federal cases reached an agreement in principle to settle the Depo-Provera meningioma claims. The money terms have not been made public.

A June 15, 2026 court order said eligible plaintiffs will get a chance to resolve their claims through the agreement once it is final. The same order made clear it will not resolve every case. Cases in state courts, most of them in New York and Delaware, have been reported to sit outside the federal deal.

On October 16, 2026, the lead lawyers told the court that registration for the settlement program is open, with a deadline of November 30, 2026. Their report did not say how to register, who is eligible or how payments will be set. Nobody is automatically owed anything yet.

The court has appointed the people who will run it: a claims administrator, a lien administrator, a fund manager and an allocator for a supplemental fund. None of those orders says who qualifies or how much anyone will be paid. While the settlement is set up, the judge has paused most other activity in the federal cases.

If you already have a lawyer, ask whether you have been registered and what November 30 means for your case. If you do not, a free review can look at your dates before that deadline.

Maybe you used Depo-Provera, were diagnosed with a meningioma and have not taken legal action. The announcement does not pause the deadline to file. That deadline is set by state law and keeps running. For general background, see statute of limitations basics and do you qualify for a lawsuit?.

What Is Depo-Provera?

Depo-Provera is the brand name for a birth control injection containing medroxyprogesterone acetate, or MPA, a synthetic version of the hormone progesterone. Pfizer makes it. It was approved for birth control in the United States in 1992. MPA itself has been used for other purposes since the late 1950s.

The drug is sold in two main injectable forms in the United States:

• Depo-Provera CI — a 150 mg intramuscular injection given every three months
• Depo-SubQ Provera 104 — a 104 mg subcutaneous injection given every three months

MPA products are also prescribed for other reasons, including pain from endometriosis. Depo-Provera is usually given at a clinic. Depo-SubQ Provera 104 can sometimes be self-injected under a doctor's guidance. For the drug's general side effect profile, see Depo-Provera side effects, and for what people report after stopping, see coming off Depo-Provera.

For broader background, see consumer product lawsuits, product liability lawsuits, and reproductive injuries linked to lawsuits.

Why Are People Filing Depo-Provera Lawsuits?

The lawsuits focus on what Pfizer knew, when it knew it, and what it told patients and doctors in the United States. The central claim is that Pfizer did not warn American women about a possible link between long-term use and meningioma. The lawsuits say that silence continued after regulators in other countries acted.

Plaintiffs in these lawsuits commonly allege that:

• Long-term, repeated exposure to MPA may be associated with an increased risk of intracranial meningioma.
• Scientific literature dating back decades raised questions about hormone exposure and meningioma development.
• Foreign regulators added meningioma warnings to Depo-Provera labels years before the FDA did.
• Patients in the United States were not given enough information to weigh the risks against the benefits, or to consider other birth control.
• Had they known of the alleged risks, some patients would have chosen a different form of birth control.

For broader context on this category of claim, see product liability lawsuits, mass torts, and current mass tort cases.

What Is a Meningioma?

A meningioma is a tumor in the meninges, the protective membranes around the brain and spinal cord. Most are not cancer, but where they sit matters. A slow-growing tumor pressing on the brain can still cause serious symptoms. It may need surgery, radiation or years of scans.

Doctors usually find a meningioma with an MRI and a neurological exam, and sometimes confirm it with a biopsy or after surgery. Treatment can mean watching it, surgery, radiation or a mix. It depends on the tumor's size, where it is and how fast it grows. For a closer look at the condition and the research, see Depo-Provera and meningioma.

For related educational content, see neurological conditions linked to lawsuits, illnesses linked to lawsuits, and symptoms linked to lawsuits.

Scientific Research and Regulatory Attention

The lawsuits rest on a handful of studies. The most cited is a 2024 French study in The BMJ. It found that women who used medroxyprogesterone acetate for more than a year were more likely to need surgery for a meningioma. A 2025 U.S. study in JAMA Neurology also found a higher risk among women who received the injection. The absolute risk in both is small.

For the figures, what each study measured and where the research disagrees, see Depo-Provera and meningioma: what the research shows.

Regulators abroad moved first. European and Canadian regulators added meningioma warnings to related products between 2022 and 2024. In 2024 the FDA turned down a request to add one in the United States. It approved a warning in December 2025 for Depo-Provera CI and Depo-SubQ Provera 104, after Pfizer submitted an amended application.

The science is still argued over. Pfizer says it stands behind the drug's safety. Whether MPA can cause meningioma at all is the central question the court is now deciding.

Who May Be Affected?

Lawyers handling these cases tend to describe similar things they look for. None of them is a guarantee. They vary by firm, by state and by the facts of each case.

• Documented use of Depo-Provera, Depo-SubQ Provera 104, or an authorized generic version of medroxyprogesterone acetate
• Use over a sustained period — many firms describe a threshold of approximately one year of repeated injections
• A confirmed diagnosis of intracranial meningioma, often supported by MRI or other imaging
• Medical treatment related to the diagnosis, which may include surgery, radiation, or ongoing monitoring
• Filing within the applicable statute of limitations, which varies significantly between states

Filing deadlines matter most, and they differ by state. Some states give very little time. Others start the clock when the injury was discovered. A few states also have laws that shield drug makers or cut off claims after a set number of years. For more general background, see statute of limitations basics and do you qualify for a lawsuit?.

Depo-Provera Lawsuit Allegations

The lawsuits raise several overlapping claims. They vary by state law and by the facts of each case. The most common are:

• Failure to warn: That Pfizer did not adequately warn U.S. patients and physicians about an alleged increased risk of meningioma associated with long-term use.
• Defective design: That a safer alternative design — such as the lower-dose subcutaneous formulation — was available and that the higher-dose intramuscular product was unreasonably dangerous as designed.
• Negligence: That Pfizer failed to use reasonable care in studying, testing, monitoring, or communicating risks associated with the drug.
• Consumer protection violations: That marketing or promotional materials misled patients about the safety profile of the injection.
• Negligent misrepresentation: That statements about the drug's safety did not adequately reflect what plaintiffs allege Pfizer should have known.

Pfizer denies the claims and is fighting them. One argument is about the FDA. The FDA controls what a drug label says, and in 2024 it turned down Pfizer's request to add a meningioma warning. Pfizer says that refusal blocks state-law claims that it should have warned. Lawyers call that federal preemption.

In October 2026, Pfizer renewed that argument using the FDA's internal files, released in September under a public records request. Pfizer asks the court to throw out claims that arose before September 2024, when the study and the European label decision behind the 2025 warning came out. It also asks the court to end every case on the ground that the warning the lawsuits demand is stronger than the one the FDA approved.

The women's lawyers answer by October 30, 2026, and a hearing will follow. Nothing has been decided. For background on how product liability claims are organized, see product liability lawsuits.

The Federal MDL and Current Case Status

In February 2025, the federal panel that groups similar cases sent the Depo-Provera meningioma lawsuits to one court. The proceeding is MDL 3140 — In re: Depo-Provera (Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate) Products Liability Litigation. The case number is 3:25-md-03140. It sits in the Northern District of Florida in Pensacola before Judge M. Casey Rodgers, with Magistrate Judge Hope T. Cannon also assigned.

Key procedural developments include:

• February 2025: JPML consolidates federal Depo-Provera meningioma lawsuits into MDL 3140.
• December 2025: FDA approves a meningioma warning for Depo-Provera CI and Depo-SubQ Provera 104.
• January 2026: Judge Rodgers issues Pretrial Order No. 30, structuring how preemption and Daubert (expert evidence) rulings will apply across the MDL.
• Spring 2026: Expert witnesses are questioned under oath on whether the drug can cause meningioma, and both sides file more briefs on Pfizer's preemption defense.
• April 2026: The court schedules the hearing on whether the drug can cause meningioma for June 24–26, 2026.
• June 15, 2026: Pfizer and the lawyers leading the cases announce a settlement in principle. The same day the court cancels the deadlines in Toney v. Pfizer (No. 3:24-cv-624), the first test trial, which had been set for December 2026.
• September 18, 2026: Judge Rodgers holds the hearing on whether the drug can cause meningioma. Experts testify and lawyers argue. No ruling yet.
• October 14, 2026: Pfizer files new preemption papers built on the FDA's released internal files. Plaintiffs respond by October 30.
• October 16, 2026: The lead lawyers report that settlement registration is open and closes November 30, 2026. The court's count stands at 6,451 cases.

Every order since, including the settlement appointments and the court calendar, is tracked on the updates page. State court cases are moving forward too, including in New York and Delaware. Those cases have been reported to sit outside the federal settlement. State courts set their own schedules and their own deadlines. For background on how multidistrict litigation works, see mass torts, MDL basics, and bellwether trials.

Records and Documentation People Often Gather

Whether or not someone ultimately decides to consult an attorney, the same set of records tends to come up in most Depo-Provera case reviews. Gathering them early can make any later conversation — with a doctor, an attorney, or a family member — easier.

• Pharmacy and prescription records: Documentation of Depo-Provera or MPA generic injections, ideally with dates and dosages
• Provider and clinic records: Office visit notes from the clinic that administered the injections
• Diagnosis records: Documentation of meningioma diagnosis, including pathology if available
• Imaging: MRI and other neuroimaging reports and (where possible) the underlying images
• Surgical records: Operative reports, hospital discharge summaries, and follow-up documentation if surgery was performed
• Treatment records: Radiation oncology records, neurology follow-ups, and any ongoing monitoring
• Timeline: A simple written timeline of when injections started, when symptoms began, and when the meningioma was diagnosed

For more on what evidence tends to matter in pharmaceutical cases, see what evidence helps a lawsuit? and what happens after you contact a lawyer?.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Depo-Provera?

Depo-Provera is an injectable contraceptive containing medroxyprogesterone acetate, a synthetic progestin. It is given roughly every three months by intramuscular or subcutaneous injection and is manufactured by Pfizer.

What is a meningioma?

A meningioma is a tumor that develops in the meninges, the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Most meningiomas are non-cancerous, but they can still cause significant neurological symptoms depending on size and location.

How long do people typically use the injection?

Use varies. Some patients use Depo-Provera for less than a year; others have used it for many years or decades. Lawsuits typically focus on patients with prolonged or repeated exposure, often described as roughly one year or more of continuous use.

What symptoms are associated with meningioma?

Reported symptoms can include persistent headaches, seizures, vision or hearing changes, memory and cognitive problems, one-sided weakness, balance issues, and personality changes. Symptoms vary widely by tumor size and location and are not specific to meningioma. Anyone experiencing concerning neurological symptoms should consult a physician.

Are lawsuits already filed?

Yes. More than 6,000 cases are pending in the federal Depo-Provera MDL (MDL 3140) in the Northern District of Florida, and more are in state courts. The parties announced a settlement in principle in June 2026, and settlement sign-ups close November 30, 2026.

Is there a Depo-Provera settlement?

In June 2026, Pfizer and the lawyers leading the federal cases reached an agreement in principle to settle. On October 16, 2026, the lead lawyers told the court that registration is open and closes November 30, 2026. The money terms are not public, and no one's eligibility or payment amount has been published. The court has said the settlement will not resolve every case.

Can people still use Depo-Provera safely?

Depo-Provera remains FDA-approved and continues to be prescribed. The FDA added a meningioma warning to the U.S. label in December 2025, advising clinicians to monitor for signs of meningioma and discontinue the drug if a meningioma is diagnosed. Anyone with concerns about whether the injection is appropriate for them should speak with their physician — this page does not provide medical advice.