Depo Injection Lawsuit Claims Birth Control Shot Caused Meningioma Brain Tumor

Lawsuit alleges manufacturers knew since at least 1983 that Depo injections could stimulate meningioma cell growth, which may lead to the development of brain tumors

Pfizer faces a new Depo-Provera brain tumor lawsuit brought by an Oregon woman, who indicates that the drug manufacturer kept her and other women in the dark about the birth control shot’s brain tumor risks for decades.

The complaint (PDF) was filed by Julie Wortman in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida on March 12, indicating that she was diagnosed with a meningioma brain tumor after receiving the Depo injections every three months for more than 20 years, from 2002 until 2023.

Depo-Provera (depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, or DMPA) was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1992, to provide long-term contraception through shots given four times a year. Based on representations made by the drug maker that the Depo injection was safe and effective, it has been used by tens of millions of women worldwide.

However, concerns about long-term side effects of Depo-Provera emerged almost two years ago, after studies linked Depo injections to a 5.5-fold increased risk of developing intracranial meningioma, a form of brain tumor. The condition requires ongoing monitoring and, in severe cases, surgical intervention.

Reports indicate that many women diagnosed with meningioma were unaware the tumor, or related symptoms, may have been caused by Depo-Provera use. As a result, many claim they continued receiving the contraceptive injections for years before the brain tumors were discovered. Because meningiomas often develop slowly, they may not cause noticeable symptoms until they grow large enough to interfere with surrounding nerves or brain tissue, sometimes requiring brain surgery or long-term medical monitoring.

In light of these findings and reported adverse events, a growing number of Depo-Provera lawsuits have been filed against Pfizer Inc. and Pharmacia & Upjohn Co. LLC by women who allege the manufacturers failed to warn about the risk of meningioma brain tumors.

According to her lawsuit, Wortman was unaware of Depo-Provera brain tumor risks when she first began receiving the injections. At the time, Pfizer’s brand-name version was the only one available.

In 2023, an MRI scan revealed that she had developed an intracranial meningioma. However, Wortman indicates she had no reason to suspect the brain tumor may have been linked to the contraceptive injections she had received for years.

Her complaint blames this lack of awareness on the drug manufacturers, accusing them of concealing information about potential meningioma risks from women in the United States, even as warning labels in Canada and other countries had listed brain tumor risks associated with Depo-Provera for years. The lawsuit alleges Pfizer chose not to provide the same warnings to American women in order to protect its profit margins.

The filing also points to scientific evidence dating back to at least 1983 showing that meningioma cells are sensitive to the female hormone progesterone. Depo-Provera delivers concentrated doses of a progesterone like hormone, which the lawsuit claims may stimulate meningioma cell growth and potentially trigger new brain tumors or accelerate the growth of existing tumors.

“The association between progesterone and meningioma has been known or knowable for decades, particularly for sophisticated pharmaceutical corporations like Defendants engaging in FDA-required post-market surveillance of their products for potential safety issues. That duty includes an obligation to keep current with emerging relevant literature and where appropriate, perform their own long- term studies and follow-up research.”

– Julie Wortman v. Pfizer Inc. et al

Due to the manufacturers’ alleged decision to conceal Depo injection side effects, Wortman presents claims of failure to warn, design defect, negligence, negligent failure to warn, negligent design defect, negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent misrepresentation and breach of warranty. She seeks both compensatory and punitive damages.

Depo Injection Lawsuit Bellwether Trials

Wortman’s complaint will be consolidated with about 2,100 similar Depo injection lawsuits centralized in the Northern District of Florida before U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers, who is overseeing coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings for all federal claims involving the birth control injections.

Judge Rodgers has selected five “pilot” cases to serve as early bellwether test trials, meant to help both sides see how juries will weigh evidence and arguments that are likely to be repeated in claim after claim.

The first Depo-Provera trial has been scheduled for December 7, 2026, involving a lawsuit filed by Donna Toney of Florida, who alleges she suffered vertigo, dizziness and hearing loss due to a brain tumor caused by the birth control injections. Additional bellwether trials will follow in early 2027.

If the parties are unable to reach a global Depo-Provera brain tumor settlement after the bellwether process, remaining cases could be sent back to their original federal courts for individual trial dates.

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