Depo-Provera Lawsuit
(Meningioma Brain Tumor)

The parties reached a global settlement in principle on June 15, 2026, and reported it to the court. That is an early-stage agreement, not a finalized settlement. The terms have not been disclosed, the eligibility criteria have not been made public, and the deal still needs to be memorialized and carried out. An agreement in principle means the two sides have agreed on the broad framework but are still working out the details.

No settlement amount has been released. The court order confirming the agreement did not include a dollar figure, and neither the total value nor any per-plaintiff or per-tier amounts have been made public. We do not publish projected or estimated settlement figures, because doing so would not be grounded in any verified source.

No. The court indicated the agreement, once finalized, will not resolve every case in the MDL. Only plaintiffs who meet the eligibility criteria agreed by the parties will have the opportunity to resolve their claims through the program. The agreement also does not affect Depo-Provera cases filed in state courts, which run on their own schedules.

No. Pfizer has stated that the agreement contains no admission of liability or wrongdoing, that it intends to continue defending any remaining claims, and that it maintains Depo-Provera is safe and effective. Settling a case in principle is not an admission of fault.

New cases continue to be filed. Whether a newly filed case would be eligible to participate in the MDL settlement program is one of the details that has not yet been made public. Deadlines to file vary by state, so anyone considering a claim should speak with a licensed attorney about the deadline that applies to them.

According to the 2025 JAMA Neurology study, increased risk was primarily seen in patients with more than 4 years of exposure. Meningiomas are typically slow-growing tumors that can take years to develop and become symptomatic. Some women are diagnosed years after stopping Depo-Provera use.

No. Most meningiomas (Grade 1) are non-malignant (non-cancerous), though they can still cause serious symptoms depending on their location and size. Only Grade 3 meningiomas are considered malignant. However, even non-malignant meningiomas often require surgery—brain surgery carries significant risks regardless of whether the tumor is cancerous.

This is a central question in the litigation. Plaintiffs allege that Pfizer knew or should have known about the meningioma risk earlier but delayed seeking label changes. The warning was added 33 years after initial approval and nearly 2 years after the key BMJ study was published in March 2024.

Depo-Provera remains FDA-approved and available. The decision to use it should be made with your healthcare provider after discussing the risks and benefits. The 2025 JAMA study calculated a "number needed to harm" of 1,152, meaning the absolute risk is relatively low. However, the new FDA warning advises discontinuation if meningioma is diagnosed.

Most Depo-Provera attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, meaning they only get paid if you win or settle your case. The fee is typically a percentage of the recovery. Initial consultations are usually free, allowing you to understand your options without any upfront cost.

Pfizer's biggest defense argument is called "federal preemption." In simple terms, Pfizer is saying: "The FDA controlled what we could put on our drug label, so you can't sue us under state law for not warning about meningioma — we couldn't have added that warning without FDA approval." Plaintiffs counter that Pfizer could have asked the FDA for a label change years earlier and chose not to. The fact that the FDA approved a meningioma warning in December 2025 significantly weakens Pfizer's position. Judge Rodgers' ruling on this issue will apply to every case in the MDL.

A Daubert hearing (named after a 1993 Supreme Court case) is where the judge acts as a gatekeeper for scientific evidence. Before expert testimony can be presented at trial, the judge must determine that the expert's methods are scientifically reliable. In this MDL, Pfizer is challenging the plaintiffs' experts who say Depo-Provera causes meningioma. The hearing was reset by the June 15, 2026 settlement order and is now set for July 27, 2026 in Pensacola. It remains on the calendar because it stays relevant for any cases that fall outside the settlement agreement.

A bellwether trial is essentially a test run. Out of thousands of cases, a few are selected to go to trial first. The results don't technically apply to other cases, but they give both sides a preview of how juries will view the evidence. A big plaintiff verdict often leads to settlement negotiations. In this MDL, five bellwether trials were planned, starting with Toney v. Pfizer on December 7, 2026 — but the parties reached a global settlement in principle on June 15, 2026, before any test trial, and Judge Rodgers vacated the first trial's deadlines.

Your case keeps its own identity, but the major legal questions — like whether Pfizer can use the preemption defense and whether the science is strong enough to prove causation — are being decided once for everyone. You don't need to do anything extra; the plaintiff leadership team handles these arguments on behalf of all cases. When it comes time for settlement negotiations or individual trials, your specific facts (how long you used Depo-Provera, the severity of your meningioma, your treatment history) will matter.