Depo-Provera Brain Tumor Lawsuit - Pfizer Faces Thousands of Claims in Federal Court

Quick Facts

• Lawsuit: In re: Depo-Provera (Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3140
• Court: US District Court, Northern District of Florida (Judge M. Casey Rodgers)
• Defendant: Pfizer Inc., Pharmacia LLC and Pharmacia & Upjohn Co. LLC
• Alleged injury: Intracranial meningioma (brain tumor) from long-term use
• Status: Settlement of a majority of claims announced June 15, 2026; 6,412 cases pending as of October 1, 2026 (JPML)

Pfizer is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. It has faced thousands of lawsuits from women who say its injectable contraceptive caused brain tumors, and in June 2026 a settlement covering a majority of those claims was announced. The product is Depo-Provera, a birth control shot given every three months. Plaintiffs say long-term exposure to the drug's active hormone caused meningiomas, tumors on the membrane surrounding the brain that can require surgery, radiation, and years of monitoring to manage.

What Is This Lawsuit About?

Depo-Provera delivers medroxyprogesterone acetate by injection every three months. On December 12, 2025, the FDA approved Pfizer's request to add a meningioma warning to the U.S. label.

The scientific concern emerged gradually. A French national case-control study published in The BMJ in March 2024 found that prolonged use (one year or more) of injectable medroxyprogesterone acetate was associated with higher odds of intracranial meningioma surgery (odds ratio 5.62). Meningiomas are usually slow-growing but can cause severe headaches, vision problems, hearing loss, and cognitive impairment - and many require surgery or radiation to treat.

Plaintiffs argue Pfizer knew about this elevated risk and failed to warn patients and prescribing doctors. The cases are consolidated in MDL 3140 before Judge M. Casey Rodgers in the Northern District of Florida. The court had set an initial bellwether trial for December 7, 2026, but canceled the December trial after the settlement was announced. As of October 1, 2026, the JPML reported 6,412 cases pending in the MDL.

Who's Eligible for the Settlement?

The eligibility rules are in a confidential Master Settlement Agreement, so the exact criteria aren't public. The court's orders say:

• The parties estimate roughly 80% of MDL plaintiffs will be eligible
• BrownGreer is the court-appointed settlement administrator and determines eligibility
• The deadline to register for the Settlement Program is November 30, 2026
• Plaintiffs who are ineligible or don't settle can keep litigating in the MDL

The court said claims processing and payments are expected to start by the first quarter of 2027.

Has There Been a Settlement?

Yes. On June 15, 2026, plaintiffs' leadership counsel announced a settlement of a majority of the claims in the MDL and New York state court with Pfizer Inc., Pharmacia LLC and Pharmacia & Upjohn Co. LLC. The settlement agreement was signed in July 2026, and its terms, including the total amount, are confidential. The agreement includes no admission of fault or liability.

Because the MDL isn't a class action, the court said the settlement isn't subject to a court fairness determination. On August 10, 2026, Judge Rodgers stayed most MDL proceedings while the settlement is carried out, with separate requirements for plaintiffs who keep litigating.

As of that August 10 order, Pfizer's preemption motion was still awaiting a decision for cases outside the settlement.

What Should Affected Women Do Now?

Filing deadlines for product liability claims are set by state law and vary by state. The registration deadline for the Settlement Program is November 30, 2026, under the court's August 10, 2026 order.

The court's July 27, 2026 order lists Chris Seeger, Bryan Aylstock and Ellen Relkin as plaintiffs' leadership counsel. There's no class-wide claim form for this MDL. Cases are filed individually.