Paragard IUD Bellwether Lawsuits Remain on Track for Trial in Early 2026

Judge presiding over the Paragard IUD lawsuit MDL has extended several key deadlines for a group of bellwether cases, but the trials are still expected to go before juries as scheduled.

Despite some minor changes to bellwether deadlines, the U.S. District Judge presiding over all federal Paragard IUD lawsuits indicates that the cases remain on track to go before juries in January, March and May of 2026.

There are currently more than 3,300 product liability lawsuits pending in the federal court system over Paragard, which is an intrauterine device (IUD) used to provide long-acting protection against pregnancy for up to 10 years. However, women throughout the United States are now pursuing lawsuits alleging that the Paragard IUD was defectively designed and prone to fracture when doctors attempt to remove it.

Each lawsuit raises similar claims that women were left with painful and debilitating injuries when the Paragard IUD fractured during removal attempts, often resulting in the need for emergency surgery to remove the broken pieces of the device.

Given common questions of fact and law raised in complaints filed in U.S. District Courts nationwide, consolidated pretrial proceedings have been established as part of an MDL (multidistrict litigation) in the Northern District of Georgia, where District Judge Leigh Martin May is presiding over coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings.

To help the parties gauge how juries may respond to certain evidence and expert witness testimony that will be repeated throughout thousands of claims if Paragard settlements are not reached, Judge May has established a bellwether program, where a small group of representative cases are being prepared for early trial dates next year.

In February, Judge May announced the court will hold a series of three Paragard IUD bellwether trials, with the first intended to go before a jury in January 2026, the second scheduled for March 2026, and the third set to go before a jury in May 2026. 

Last month, Judge May announced that the first Paragard bellwether trial will involve IUD injury claims by Melody Braxton, of Florida.

In an additional case management order (PDF) issued on June 2, Judge May did agree to slightly revise several deadlines in the pretrial schedule leading up to the first trial, but the start of the first cases remains the same.

The revised schedule calls for all discovery expert disclosures and expert reports for the trial cases to be served by July 31, with the close of expert discovery for the trial cases set for August 29. Daubert and dispositive motions are due by September 19. Several other dates, including due dates for motions in limine and the final pretrial conference for the Braxton trial have not yet been set.

Although the outcome of the Paragard bellwether trials will not have any binding impact on these other claimants, the cases are expected to have a large impact on any negotiations for a potential global Paragard IUD settlement that would avoid the need for each individual case to be remanded back to U.S. District Courts nationwide for individual trial dates in the coming years.