Depo-Provera MDL 3140 July 2026 update: case growth, expert hearing, and what claimants should save

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If you are tracking the Depo-Provera cases, the July update is a little more complicated than a simple "case count went up" story.

Yes, the federal MDL is much larger than it was a few months ago. But the more useful news is in the court orders. The judge is still dealing with expert proof, preemption, pilot cases, and who may or may not be covered by an agreement announced inside the MDL.

For families, that means one thing: keep the focus on records. Dates of shots. Brand or generic use. The meningioma diagnosis. Surgery or monitoring. Those details matter more than rumors about settlement numbers.

The MDL is now one of the bigger federal mass torts

The Depo-Provera litigation is MDL No. 3140. It sits in the Northern District of Florida before Judge M. Casey Rodgers.

The JPML transfer order says the first group included 27 actions in eight federal districts, with 41 related actions in 15 more districts. The common issue was the allegation that Depo-Provera, or depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, can cause users to develop meningiomas.

The numbers have moved fast since then.

The court reported 1,929 member cases as of December 19, 2025. On March 6, 2026, the court reported 3,467 total actions and 3,790 unique plaintiffs. The JPML's July 1, 2026 report listed 5,830 pending actions in MDL 3140, with 5,916 total actions.

That is a big jump in a short window. It also explains why the court has been strict about proof-of-use and injury submissions. In a case this large, missing records can become a real problem.

The expert hearing moved to July 27

A lot of people expected a June Daubert hearing. That date changed.

In Pretrial Order No. 30A, filed June 15, 2026, the court continued the Rule 702 hearing on general causation to July 27, 2026 in Pensacola. Rule 702 is the federal rule courts use when deciding whether expert testimony is reliable enough to come in.

The same order said Pfizer's preemption motion would be postponed because of a global agreement involving eligible MDL plaintiffs. But the judge did not say the expert fight was over. The order says the court expected to proceed with the Rule 702 hearing because the agreement would not resolve all cases in the MDL.

That sentence is important. It is the court saying, in plain terms, that some cases still need the science ruling.

The first trial target is still worth watching

Back in Case Management Order No. 9, the court told the parties to build a schedule that would allow one pilot case to be tried by December 7 or 14, 2026. The Toney case was named as the likely first trial unless everyone agreed to a different case.

Bellwether trials do not decide every claim. They do, however, show both sides how a jury reacts to the warnings, the medical proof, the diagnosis history, and the defense arguments. That can change the settlement conversation quickly.

What records should a claimant look for?

A potential Depo-Provera claim usually starts with two buckets of proof: use of the shot and proof of the tumor.

Look for:

  • OB/GYN, clinic, county health, or pharmacy records showing Depo-Provera injections;
  • insurance or billing records that match the injection dates;
  • any records showing whether the product was Depo-Provera or a generic depot medroxyprogesterone acetate product;
  • MRI, CT, neurology, neurosurgery, pathology, or oncology records showing a meningioma diagnosis;
  • records for treatment, surgery, radiation, repeat imaging, symptoms, missed work, or long term monitoring.

People often remember the clinic but not the dates. That is normal. The dates still have to be pinned down as best as possible.

A quick medical note

A meningioma forms in the meninges, the tissue layers around the brain and spinal cord. Cleveland Clinic describes meningiomas as the most common type of brain tumor. Many are noncancerous, but location and size can still make them serious.

The scientific attention around Depo-Provera increased after a French national case-control study in BMJ reported an association between prolonged medroxyprogesterone acetate use and surgery for intracranial meningioma. The lawsuits allege users and doctors should have been warned sooner.

Those are allegations. Pfizer and other defendants continue to deny liability and raise defenses, including preemption and expert-proof arguments.

Bottom line for July 2026

The Depo-Provera MDL is not sitting still. The court's July 27 expert hearing, the postponed preemption issue, and the December 2026 pilot-trial target are all worth watching.

If this may involve you or someone in your family, do not guess from memory alone. Pull the medical and pharmacy records. Write down the clinics where shots were given. Keep copies of scans, pathology reports, and neurology notes. Then have someone evaluate the timeline.

Mass Tort America provides informational resources and may connect visitors with attorneys who handle pharmaceutical injury claims. This article is attorney advertising and is for general information only. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. No result is promised or guaranteed.

Sources checked

  • JPML Transfer Order, MDL No. 3140, In re Depo-Provera Products Liability Litigation, filed February 7, 2025.
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Depo-Provera MDL orders page.
  • Case Management Order No. 9, filed December 21, 2025.
  • Case Management Order No. 11, filed March 7, 2026.
  • Pretrial Order No. 30 and Pretrial Order No. 30A, filed January 27, 2026 and June 15, 2026.
  • JPML Pending MDL Dockets by Actions Pending, July 1, 2026.
  • BMJ 2024 study on progestogen use and intracranial meningioma risk.
  • Cleveland Clinic meningioma overview, last updated July 3, 2025.

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