Paragard IUD

What the lawsuit is about

The Paragard lawsuit alleges that the Paragard copper IUD can break when it is removed — an arm of the T-shaped device fractures and leaves fragments inside the body — and that the makers failed to warn about the risk, sometimes forcing patients to undergo imaging and additional procedures (up to surgery) to retrieve the pieces. Federal cases are consolidated in MDL-2974 before Judge Leigh Martin May in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. The defendants, Teva and CooperSurgical, dispute the claims.

As of September 2026, the litigation remains active: the JPML listed 4,185 pending actions in MDL-2974 on September 1, and the first bellwether trial ended in a defense verdict for Teva in February 2026. The public materials reviewed on September 14 did not identify a global settlement or confirm a later 2026 bellwether date.

Claim review usually turns on records confirming a Paragard IUD, documentation that it broke during removal, the complications or surgery that followed, and the state filing deadline.

Paragard IUD Lawsuit update: September 2026

Active MDL after first bellwether verdict. The jury returned a defense verdict in Rickard on February 3, 2026. The September JPML report lists 4,185 pending MDL-2974 actions before Judge Leigh Martin May. The public court orders reviewed did not verify a later trial setting, so this guide does not describe earlier 2026 trial plans as upcoming.

The JPML, September 1, 2026 lists 4,185 pending actions and 4,503 total historical actions. The figures are docket counts, not settlement eligibility or payment counts.

Settlement status: The Northern District of Georgia public MDL page and posted orders reviewed on September 14, 2026 did not identify a global settlement program. The Rickard verdict resolves the trial issues in that individual case; it does not determine the outcome or value of other claims.

What changed this month?

• JPML reports 4,185 pending actions and 4,503 historical actions in MDL-2974. Source
• Pending actions increased by 29 from 4,156 on August 3, 2026. This is a net docket change, not a count of new claims. Source
• The Rickard jury verdict was filed in favor of the defense. It does not decide other plaintiffs’ claims. Source

Case snapshot

• Litigation: federal multidistrict litigation — MDL-2974, In re: Paragard IUD Products Liability Litigation
• Court: U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia (Atlanta)
• Judge: Leigh Martin May
• MDL established: December 2020
• Pending actions: 4,185 (JPML, September 1, 2026)
• Defendants: Teva Pharmaceuticals USA; Teva Women's Health; CooperSurgical; The Cooper Companies
• Alleged injuries: device breakage on removal, retained fragments, migration, perforation, removal surgery
• Settlement status: none; first bellwether was a defense verdict (Feb. 2026)

Litigation updates

• February 2026: The first bellwether trial ended in a defense verdict for Teva; the court then weighed revising the bellwether plan for later trials.
• September 2026: The MDL held 4,185 pending actions; the public federal court materials reviewed did not confirm a later 2026 bellwether date.
• 2021–2025: The MDL proceeded through discovery, device and expert issues, and selection of bellwether cases.
• December 2020: The JPML created MDL-2974 in the Northern District of Georgia before Judge Leigh Martin May.

Current status

The litigation remains active after the first test trial. Federal cases are coordinated in MDL-2974 for common discovery and pretrial work. New cases continue to be filed and transferred in, and the public materials reviewed on September 14, 2026 did not identify a global settlement program or confirm a later 2026 bellwether date.

Who may be affected

The cases focus on people who had a Paragard copper IUD that broke or fractured during removal, leaving fragments that required imaging, monitoring, or procedures — sometimes including hysteroscopy, laparoscopy, or hysterectomy — to address. Documentation identifying the device as Paragard and an operative note describing the breakage are usually central to a claim. Families evaluating wrongful-death or fertility-related questions should ask a lawyer how state law may apply.

Records usually reviewed

Because these claims hinge on a specific device failing in a specific way, the records that matter most are the insertion and removal records, anything identifying the device as Paragard, the operative or procedure report describing the breakage, imaging (X-ray, ultrasound, or CT) locating retained fragments, and records of any surgery to remove them. Follow-up and complication records help establish the injury timeline.

Settlement status

No global public settlement or official payout schedule was identified in the federal court materials reviewed on September 14, 2026, and this site does not publish settlement estimates or "calculators." The first bellwether trial ended in a defense verdict for Teva in February 2026. That result does not set a value or guarantee any result for other claims, which depend on their own facts, injuries, and proof.

Sources and notes

• Federal court context: Federal Paragard cases are coordinated in MDL-2974 in the Northern District of Georgia; the JPML's December 2020 transfer order established the MDL, and pending-action counts come from the JPML's September 1, 2026 report.
• Bellwether context: The first bellwether defense verdict and the court's reconsideration of the bellwether plan are reported by Law.com (Daily Report, Feb. 17, 2026).
• Litigation status: This guide summarizes public litigation status and should not be treated as a live court docket. The defendants dispute the allegations, and this page does not assert that any defendant is liable.
• Review note: Case status, bellwether schedules, settlement posture, and eligibility factors can change.
• Last reviewed: September 14, 2026.

Where can I track the Paragard IUD lawsuit?

Use the mass tort settlement tracker to compare public settlement posture, the deadline tracker for filing-window and key-date notes , and the MDL statistics tracker for federal case counts and court assignments.

What injuries does the Paragard IUD lawsuit involve?

• Device breakage or fracture on removal
• Retained device fragments
• Migration of fragments
• Organ perforation
• Pelvic pain and infection
• Surgery to remove fragments (up to hysterectomy)
• Fertility-related complications

How has the Paragard IUD lawsuit progressed?

What are the Paragard IUD lawsuit filing deadlines?

Deadlines vary by state and may depend on diagnosis date, discovery date, exposure history, wrongful death issues, and other facts. A lawyer can evaluate how the relevant deadline rules may apply.

State-by-state guide links