Depo-Provera Lawsuit

The Depo shot lawsuit claims that Pfizer failed to warn its customers of a heightened risk of developing a brain tumor with repeated use of Depo-Provera. The birth control shot is used by millions of women every year and has been touted as a safe, effective and low-maintenance contraceptive option.

But a 2024 study published in the BMJ found that women who use Depo could be upwards of five times more likely to develop a meningioma, a tumor that can form in the lining surrounding the brain and spinal cord.

Meningiomas are usually benign but can still be life-altering. Women who have filed lawsuits tell stories of seizures, hearing loss and other severe health effects that derailed their lives following their diagnosis.

Meningiomas also may require an invasive craniotomy surgery to alleviate symptoms and prevent more serious issues.

Women have filed Depo-Provera lawsuits across federal and state courts. In December 2025, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) added information on meningiomas to the Depo-Provera label as lawsuits mounted.

Similar warnings and information had already been present on the drug’s Canadian and European labels, but American users were never warned of the potential risk.

You may be eligible to file a Depo-Provera lawsuit if you received the birth control shot for at least a year and went on to develop a meningioma. Depo is typically administered four times a year.

If you were given a generic version of the shot or Depo-subQ Provera 104 (a lower-dose version of the drug), you may still qualify for a case.

To successfully file a lawsuit, you may need to provide certain documentation to help build your case. This can include medical records of your Depo-Provera use. Your primary care physician or the practice that administered your shots may be able to provide this.

You will also likely need to provide medical records of your meningioma diagnosis. Other information, such as documentation of any financial losses you suffered from medical expenses or being unable to work, can also help.

If you’re not sure how to gather these documents, a Depo-Provera lawyer can help. Trusted law firms specialize in dangerous product litigations like this and have years of experience in helping their clients build strong cases.

What Injuries Are These Lawsuits About?

The Depo shot lawsuits center on the injuries that can result following a meningioma diagnosis. These tumors are often benign, meaning that they are not cancerous. But their health effects can still be devastating.

Meningiomas can negatively impact your senses, leading to loss of smell, hearing and worsened vision.

They can also lead to memory problems and the development of serious health issues like seizures or paralysis.

These symptoms can have an upending effect on women’s lives. Some lawsuits include claims of women having to leave their careers or losing the ability to perform daily tasks like driving a car due to the severity of their symptoms.

Meningiomas do not have a simple treatment. If the tumor is causing severe symptoms, it may be addressed through radiation therapy or an invasive surgery to remove the tumor. Some women may have to live with the symptoms of their meningiomas if the tumor is located in an area that would make it difficult or dangerous to remove.

In order to file a Depo-Provera lawsuit, you typically need to get in touch with an attorney who specializes in these types of dangerous product cases.

The first step in this process is to gather any relevant documentation for your case. This includes medical records of your diagnosis and evidence that you took Depo-Provera. You may be able to get this information from your doctor.

After that, you can receive a free case review. This allows a law firm to learn more about your specific circumstances and determine if you may be eligible to file a lawsuit. If you’ve had trouble tracking down the necessary documentation, a lawyer can help point you in the right direction.

If you’re eligible, the law firm will then handle the creation, filing and litigating of your case. They will represent you in court and advise you on the best path forward to help you seek justice.

A Depo-Provera settlement could be on the horizon. In June 2026, Pfizer agreed to a tentative settlement that could resolve much of the litigation. In the wake of that news, an early trial that had been scheduled for December 2026 was canceled.

The exact terms of the settlement have not yet been finalized. So far, no details have been released on how many cases the deal will cover or what potential payouts may look like. That information may become available as the settlement process advances.

The judge overseeing these lawsuits did leave some upcoming deadlines in place, since the settlement agreement is not expected to resolve every case filed in federal court.

Depo-Provera Lawsuit Settlement Amounts

Legal industry estimates for a Depo-Provera settlement amount range from $75,000 to as much as $1.5 million per person. It’s important to remember that these are only estimates and that each case is unique.

The individual details of each case will determine what settlement amount it could be worth.

In dangerous product litigations, the strongest cases often earn the highest payouts, such as a case where the plaintiff suffered severe, life-altering effects from their meningioma.

Strong evidence of regular Depo-Provera use could help strengthen a case.

As of July 2026, there are 5,830 Depo-Provera lawsuits active in multidistrict litigation (MDL) in federal court. MDLs are created when many similar cases are filed, placing them before a single judge for coordinated proceedings.

This helps people who have filed lawsuits experience faster, more streamlined results. The Depo shot MDL was established in Florida in early 2025. Cases from across the nation are being filed there.

Growth among Depo shot lawsuits has been significant since then. More than 3,700 new lawsuits have been filed in federal court just since the start of January 2026.

One of the early issues that still needs to be sorted out in the Depo shot lawsuits is federal preemption. This is a legal doctrine that essentially states that federal law overrules any conflicting state laws.

Pfizer has argued that these lawsuits should not be able to move forward because the FDA rejected a label update that the company submitted in 2024 to warn of a possible meningioma risk. That strategy took a major hit when the FDA eventually approved a new label that included a tumor warning at the end of 2025.

If these lawsuits survive preemption, then the first trial will likely begin in December 2026. That’s a relatively fast timeline compared to similar dangerous product litigations.