Depo-Provera Meningioma Lawyers Reappointed to MDL Leadership Roles

Attorneys will continue to represent Depo-Provera plaintiffs’ interests as they prepare for the first bellwether trial, scheduled to begin in December.

Just more than a year after all federal Depo-Provera meningioma lawsuits were consolidated before one judge as part of a multidistrict litigation (MDL), a group of attorneys has been reappointed to serve the interests of all women who have filed claims alleging that the birth control injections caused them to develop brain tumors.

Depo-Provera is a birth control injection introduced by Pfizer in 1992, designed to be administered once every three months. Over the last three decades, it has been heavily promoted, with tens of millions of women receiving the shots.

Concerns about Depo-Provera meningioma side effects emerged in April 2024, following the publication of a study warning that women receiving the birth control injections appeared to face a five-fold greater risk of developing brain tumors.

In the weeks that followed, a series of Depo-Provera brain tumor lawsuits began to be filed, as women started connecting their own diagnoses to years of receiving the “Depo shot.”

As lawsuits continued to be filed in courts across the United States, the growing number of federal cases were ultimately centralized last February for coordinated pretrial proceedings in the Northern District of Florida before U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers. At that time, only 27 product liability lawsuits had been filed against Pfizer and generic manufacturers. However, one year later, the litigation has grown to include more than 3,000 claims.

Given the widespread use of the drug, Depo-Provera meningioma lawyers expect the litigation to continue expanding, as more women learn they may have developed brain tumors linked to the injections.

Upon assignment, Judge Rodgers quickly moved the litigation forward by selecting five “pilot” trials to be prepared as early bellwether test cases, signaling an effort to efficiently evaluate key issues that will shape the broader proceedings.

These early trials are designed to show how juries may respond to the scientific evidence, expert testimony and legal arguments expected to be repeated throughout the litigation, despite differences in individual claims. The outcomes are expected to play a critical role in guiding potential settlement discussions in the Depo-Provera meningioma lawsuits.

To help manage the growing number of claims, Judge Rodgers also appointed a group of plaintiffs’ attorneys to serve in leadership roles, coordinating discovery and pretrial efforts on behalf of all individuals involved. In a court order (PDF) issued on March 20, she reappointed approximately 70 attorneys to these positions, citing the group’s effectiveness in advancing the litigation so far.

“The leadership work thus far has been exemplary, and the Court appreciates the efforts and interest of all attorneys who reapplied.”

– U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers

The reappointed attorneys will continue to work on preparing the first bellwether lawsuits for trial, with the first Depo-Provera trial scheduled to begin on December 7, 2026. It will involve 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, Judge Rodgers could remand the remaining cases back to their original federal courts for individual trial dates.

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