Depo-Provera Lawsuit (2026): Claims, Status & Who May Qualify

Depo-Provera is an injectable contraceptive whose active ingredient is medroxyprogesterone acetate, and a growing number of people who used it long term allege that it caused a type of brain tumor called a meningioma. These claims are centralized in a federal multidistrict litigation created in February 2025, and that litigation is still active: the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation counted 6,403 actions pending in it as of its report dated September 1, 2026, and the transferee court has a general-causation hearing and monthly case management conferences on its calendar. This page explains the claims, the science, and the current status neutrally.

This page is part of our Mass Tort & Product Liability overview.

What Depo-Provera is and the alleged harm

Depo-Provera is a long-acting hormonal contraceptive given as an injection, typically every three months. Its active ingredient is medroxyprogesterone acetate, a synthetic progestogen, delivered at a relatively high dose by intramuscular injection. The lawsuits allege that prolonged use of Depo-Provera caused users to develop an intracranial meningioma, a tumor that forms in the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord and is usually noncancerous but can cause serious symptoms and may require surgery. Plaintiffs allege that the manufacturers knew or should have known of the risk, failed to warn patients and prescribers, and failed to promote a lower-dose subcutaneous version that they contend is safer. These are descriptions of the allegations, not a finding that Depo-Provera caused any individual person's tumor.

Note: These are allegations being tested in court. A lawsuit reflects what a plaintiff claims, not a final determination of liability, and a meningioma can develop in people who never used this product.

What the science and regulators say

The scientific record describes an association between high-dose medroxyprogesterone acetate and meningioma rather than a fully settled cause, and the strongest evidence is recent. A national case-control study by Roland and colleagues published in The BMJ in 2024 reported a substantially increased risk of intracranial meningioma with long-term use, finding an odds ratio of about 5.6 for use of injectable medroxyprogesterone acetate for a year or more. Regulators have responded. In September 2024 the European Medicines Agency's safety committee concluded that high-dose medroxyprogesterone acetate, including the injectable contraceptive, carries an increased risk of meningioma and recommended updated warnings and monitoring, while noting that the absolute risk is small. The U.S. prescribing information also notes that meningiomas have been reported with use of medroxyprogesterone acetate, primarily with long-term use, and advises discontinuation if a meningioma is diagnosed. An association in studies and a label warning are not the same as proof that the product caused any particular person's tumor.

Note: Nothing here establishes that Depo-Provera caused any individual's meningioma. Regulators describe the relative risk as increased but the absolute risk as small, and causation in any specific case is for the courts to determine.

The status of the Depo-Provera litigation (as of October 2026)

Most federal Depo-Provera cases are consolidated in In re: Depo-Provera (Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3140, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida before Judge M. Casey Rodgers. The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation centralized the cases in February 2025 to handle claims that the injectable contraceptive, or its generic equivalents, can cause users to develop one or more meningiomas.

The docket has grown steadily since centralization. In the panel's statistics report dated September 1, 2026, MDL No. 3140 showed 6,403 actions pending and 6,510 actions filed to date, which places it among the larger product liability MDLs in the country.

The federal litigation remains active. The court's public case page for MDL No. 3140 lists a Rule 702 motions hearing, the stage at which a court decides whether expert general-causation testimony may be presented to a jury, scheduled for September 18, 2026, along with case management conferences scheduled monthly into December 2026. No trial date or bellwether schedule is posted there. The docket does now reflect a settlement program taking shape. In Case Management Order No. 13, entered on August 5, 2026, Judge Rodgers recorded that the defendants had reached an agreement with plaintiffs' lead counsel that will offer a substantial percentage of plaintiffs with cases pending in the MDL the opportunity to resolve their claims, and appointed BrownGreer PLC as settlement administrator under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 53. Under that order BrownGreer handles settlement program administration, eligibility determinations, review of supporting records, custody of releases and stipulations of dismissal, and coordination with the qualified settlement fund administrator on payment. On September 4, 2026 the court built out the payment machinery further, appointing a supplemental compensation fund allocation master in Case Management Order No. 15, a qualified settlement fund administrator in Case Management Order No. 16, and a lien resolution administrator in Case Management Order No. 17. The one hard date in the settlement program comes from Case Management Order No. 14, entered August 10, 2026, in which the court recorded its understanding that the deadline for claimants to register to participate in the Settlement Program is November 30, 2026, and that claimants later determined ineligible will be identified to the court. That order also recorded 6,289 cases then pending in the MDL and described the settlement as memorialized in an agreement dated July 22, 2026, which the court's earlier Case Management Order No. 12 described as a Master Settlement Agreement signed by the parties on July 21, 2026. These orders do not disclose any individual payment amount or allocation formula, and they do not resolve the MDL as a whole. Because this MDL is not a class action, the settlement is not subject to a court fairness determination, so there is no final-approval hearing to wait for; what remains is registration and claims administration. At the twelfth case management conference, held July 27, 2026 and recorded in Case Management Order No. 12, the parties represented that the claims process would begin to be completed and payments begin to roll out by the first quarter of 2027. That timing is the parties' own projection rather than a deadline the court has ordered, and it can move; the November 30, 2026 registration deadline above is the one date the court has recorded. Anyone relying on the status of this MDL should check the court's case page directly or ask an attorney, and should treat any specific settlement figure circulating in secondary coverage with caution until it appears on the court's own docket.

Who may be involved

The people generally involved in this litigation are individuals who used Depo-Provera or its generic medroxyprogesterone acetate equivalent, often for a year or more, and were later diagnosed with an intracranial meningioma. Whether any particular person may have a claim depends on the specific facts, including how long the product was used, the diagnosis and its timing, the medical record connecting the two, and the law of the relevant state. Use of the product alone does not establish a claim, and most people who used Depo-Provera will not develop a meningioma. Nothing here suggests that every user has a claim or that any outcome is assured.

Deadlines and why they matter

Claims like these are subject to statutes of limitations, which are legal deadlines to file suit. These deadlines vary by state and by the type of claim, and many states measure the deadline from when a person knew or reasonably should have known that an injury may be linked to the product, a concept sometimes called the discovery rule. Because the deadline depends on your state and your facts, there is no single national filing deadline, and this page does not state any individual's deadline. Missing a deadline can permanently bar a claim, so people who believe they may be affected often act promptly rather than waiting. A licensed attorney in the relevant state can evaluate which deadline applies to a specific situation.

How to evaluate your options

If you are trying to understand your legal options, the appropriate step is to speak with a licensed attorney who handles this type of case. An attorney can assess the facts, explain the applicable law in your state, and advise whether you may have a claim; this page cannot do that. It can help to gather any records you have, such as proof that you received Depo-Provera and when, your prescription and clinic records, and your medical records confirming a meningioma diagnosis and its date, including any imaging. Most mass tort and personal injury attorneys offer a free, confidential consultation, and many work on a contingency basis, meaning a fee is generally owed only if there is a recovery. A consultation creates no obligation to file.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Depo-Provera lawsuit about?

It involves claims that the injectable contraceptive Depo-Provera, whose active ingredient is medroxyprogesterone acetate, caused intracranial meningioma, a usually noncancerous brain tumor, with long-term use, and that the manufacturers failed to warn users and to promote a lower-dose alternative. The claims are brought as failure-to-warn and design-defect product liability cases under state law.

Is there a Depo-Provera MDL, and what is the case number?

Yes. Most federal Depo-Provera cases are consolidated in In re: Depo-Provera (Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3140, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida before Judge M. Casey Rodgers. The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation centralized the cases in February 2025, and 6,403 actions were pending in the MDL as of the panel's report dated September 1, 2026.

Does Depo-Provera cause brain tumors?

The science describes an association rather than a settled cause. A 2024 BMJ study reported a markedly increased risk of meningioma with long-term use of injectable medroxyprogesterone acetate, and European regulators added meningioma warnings in 2024 while noting the absolute risk is small. An association and a label warning are not proof that the product caused any individual's tumor.

Is there a settlement?

In part. The parties announced a settlement on June 15, 2026 and signed a master settlement agreement on July 21, 2026, and in Case Management Order No. 13, entered August 5, 2026, the court appointed BrownGreer PLC as settlement administrator. On September 4, 2026 it appointed a supplemental compensation fund allocation master, a qualified settlement fund administrator, and a lien resolution administrator. Individual payment terms are confidential, and because this MDL is not a class action the settlement is not subject to a court fairness review, so there is no final-approval hearing pending. In Case Management Order No. 14 (August 10, 2026) the court recorded its understanding that the deadline for claimants to register for the Settlement Program is November 30, 2026. In Case Management Order No. 12 (July 27, 2026) the parties represented that the claims process would begin to be completed and payments begin to roll out by the first quarter of 2027; treat that timing as the parties' projection, not a court-ordered deadline. The MDL itself remains open: a Rule 702 general-causation motions hearing was scheduled for September 18, 2026, case management conferences run into December 2026, and the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation counted 6,403 actions still pending as of September 1, 2026. Confirm any specific settlement figure against the court's own docket, or with an attorney, before relying on it.

Who qualifies to file a claim?

There is no automatic qualification. Whether a person may have a claim depends on the specific facts, including how long Depo-Provera was used, the meningioma diagnosis, the medical record, and the law of the relevant state. A licensed attorney can evaluate eligibility.

How much are Depo-Provera cases worth?

There is no guaranteed amount, and no one can state a value. A settlement program exists, announced June 15, 2026 and memorialized in a Master Settlement Agreement signed July 21 and dated July 22, 2026, but that agreement is a private, confidential contract that has not been filed on the docket, so its payment terms are not public and the court's case management orders disclose no individual amount or allocation formula. The MDL has also produced no verdict that would set a benchmark. What any individual claimant might receive would depend on the facts of the case, the law of the relevant state, and the terms of that program. Treat any advertisement that promises a specific figure with skepticism.

Is there a deadline to file?

Yes, but it varies. Statutes of limitations differ by state and by the type of claim, and many states measure the deadline from when a person reasonably should have connected an injury to the product. There is no single national deadline, so the applicable one should be confirmed with an attorney in the relevant state.

Do I have to pay upfront?

Most mass tort and personal injury attorneys offer a free, confidential consultation and work on a contingency basis, meaning a fee is generally owed only if there is a recovery. Confirm the specific terms with any attorney you consult.