How many Depo-Provera cases are pending in MDL 3140?

As of the June 2026 JPML report, 5,508 cases were pending in MDL 3140, after a record 1,739 new filings in June alone — the largest single-month jump in the MDL's history.

Has the Depo-Provera lawsuit settled?

A global settlement in principle between plaintiffs' leadership and Pfizer was confirmed by court order on June 15, 2026. No settlement amount or eligibility criteria have been made public, and the deal is not yet finalized.

Who qualifies for the Depo-Provera settlement?

Eligibility criteria have not been released. Based on the litigation's filing criteria, strong cases typically involve at least two Depo-Provera injections (with one year or more of use strengthening claims) and an intracranial meningioma confirmed by MRI, CT, or pathology.

What medical records are needed for Depo-Provera claims?

Injection and prescription histories from OB/GYN or clinic records, pharmacy fill records, diagnostic imaging (MRI/CT) confirming meningioma, pathology reports, and neurology or neurosurgery treatment records.

Pfizer Reaches Global Depo-Provera Settlement in Principle as MDL Passes 5,500 Cases

A June 15, 2026 court order confirmed that plaintiffs' lead counsel and Pfizer have reached a global settlement in principle in the Depo-Provera meningioma litigation (MDL 3140). Judge M. Casey Rodgers vacated the first bellwether trial — Toney v. Pfizer, which had been set for December 7, 2026 — and reset the general-causation Daubert hearing to July 27, 2026. The agreement came after a record month: the docket surged by 1,739 new cases in June to reach 5,508 pending actions, the largest single-month jump in the MDL's history.

The deal arrived unusually early by mass tort standards — before any ruling on Pfizer's federal-preemption motion, before a Daubert decision, and before a single bellwether verdict. It follows the FDA's December 2025 label change adding a meningioma warning to both injectable formulations, a development we covered when the docket stood at roughly 2,100 cases in January.

5,508cases

Pending in MDL 3140 as of the June 2026 JPML report

1,739

New cases filed in June alone — a single-month MDL record

Jul 272026

Daubert hearing remains on calendar in Pensacola

What the June 15 Order Changed

Judge Rodgers took two immediate steps after the parties reported the agreement. First, she vacated the trial and pretrial deadlines in Toney v. Pfizer, the first bellwether case. Second, she reset the general-causation hearing — which tests whether plaintiffs' scientific evidence is reliable enough to reach a jury — from June 24-26 to July 27, 2026.

The hearing stays on the calendar for a reason: the settlement, once finalized, will not end the entire MDL. Only plaintiffs who meet the negotiated eligibility criteria can participate, and the agreement does not reach state-court cases. Pfizer states the deal includes no admission of liability and maintains the drug is safe and effective.

Depo-Provera Settlement: Known vs. Unknown

What We Know	What Hasn't Been Released
Global agreement in principle confirmed by June 15, 2026 court order	Total settlement amount — no aggregate or per-plaintiff figures
Covers Pfizer Inc., Pharmacia LLC, and Pharmacia & Upjohn Co. LLC	Eligibility criteria — unclear how many of the 5,500+ cases qualify
First bellwether trial (Toney v. Pfizer) vacated	Injury tiers or point-system structure, if any
Daubert hearing reset to July 27, 2026 and still on calendar	Timeline for finalizing the agreement and opening claims
Deal does not resolve state-court cases	Whether late-filed cases will be included or face a cutoff date

The Science and Regulatory Trail Behind the Deal

The litigation rests on a March 2024 BMJ study of 108,366 French women that found users of injectable medroxyprogesterone acetate for one year or more had 5.55 times the odds of developing an intracranial meningioma requiring surgery (adjusted OR 5.55; 95% CI 2.27–13.56). A November 2025 TriNetX follow-up study confirmed the association, reporting elevated risk concentrated in women who used the injection for four or more years.

On December 17, 2025, the FDA approved a meningioma warning for both Depo-Provera CI and Depo-SubQ Provera 104 — the first meningioma disclosure ever included on the U.S. label, more than 30 years after the drug's 1992 contraceptive approval. Filings accelerated sharply after the label change, culminating in June's record surge.

Important

Why the Early Settlement Matters

Pfizer agreed to a global framework before its preemption motion was decided, before the Daubert ruling, and before any jury heard a bellwether case. Defendants rarely settle ahead of these milestones unless the regulatory record — here, the FDA's December 2025 label change — has substantially weakened their defenses.

What Firms Should Do Before Eligibility Criteria Drop

Because the settlement will only cover plaintiffs who meet criteria that haven't been published, firms with Depo-Provera inventories face a documentation race. When criteria are released, they will almost certainly turn on two things: proof of exposure (number of injections, duration of use, product identification) and proof of injury (confirmed intracranial meningioma diagnosis). Cases with complete records will be positioned to qualify immediately; cases with gaps will scramble.

Based on the litigation's existing filing criteria, the strongest files document:

The exposure side is where cases most often stall. Depo-Provera is administered every three months at clinics, health departments, and OB/GYN offices — and many women received injections at multiple providers over many years, some of which have since closed or merged. AI-powered retrieval services like LlamaLab reconstruct complete injection histories across every provider in 24-48 hours, including discovering treatment sources clients don't recall — the difference between proving four injections and proving forty.

What's Next

Key Points

Essential takeaways from this article

July 27, 2026: General-causation Daubert hearing proceeds in Pensacola — the settlement does not resolve every case, so the science ruling still matters

Settlement terms, eligibility criteria, and claims process expected in the coming months

State-court cases are outside the deal and will continue litigating

Filings continue: women diagnosed with meningioma after long-term use can still bring claims, subject to state statutes of limitations

Discovery-rule trigger dates — the March 2024 BMJ study and December 2025 FDA warning — give many claimants until 2027-2028 to file, depending on state law

The Bottom Line

The Depo-Provera litigation went from emerging docket to global settlement framework in under 18 months — one of the fastest arcs in recent mass tort history, driven by strong epidemiology and an FDA label change that undercut Pfizer's defenses. But a settlement in principle is not a payout. Until eligibility criteria are public, the only thing firms control is the completeness of their case files.

Firms holding Depo-Provera inventory should audit every case now for injection-history gaps and unconfirmed diagnoses. When the criteria drop, the firms with complete records will move first.

Auditing Your Depo-Provera Inventory?

LlamaLab retrieves complete injection histories, pharmacy records, and neuroimaging from every provider — including closed clinics — in as little as 24 hours. Get your cases settlement-ready before eligibility criteria are released.

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Sources: MDL Update — Depo-Provera Settlement, MDL Update — MDL 3140, NBC News — FDA Label Change, Pediatric Endocrine Society — FDA Label Update, SuperLawsuits — Qualification Guide, Lawsuits Journal. Case counts current as of the June 2026 JPML report.

This article provides general information about Depo-Provera litigation developments and should not be construed as legal or medical advice. Consult with qualified professionals for advice specific to your situation.