Federal multidistrict litigation tracker

MDL 2974 Update — Paragard IUD Lawsuit

In re: Paragard IUD Products Liability Litigation. Counts are monthly JPML snapshots and can change between reports.

Lawsuit status — September 2026

Paragard IUD Lawsuit

Verified September 14, 2026

MDL: MDL-2974
Court: N.D. Ga.
Judge: Judge Leigh Martin May
Pending cases: 4,185; +29 since prior report
Current phase: Active MDL after first bellwether verdict
Settlement status: not identified in reviewed records
Latest development: JPML reports 4,185 pending actions and 4,503 historical actions in MDL-2974.
Next major event: No future public court date is currently verified in this record.

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

MDL details

Created: December 16, 2020
Pending: 4,185
Total actions filed: 4,503
Monthly change: +29

Defendants named in the tracked record

Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.; Teva Women's Health, LLC; CooperSurgical, Inc. (acquired Paragard in 2017); The Cooper Companies, Inc.. Defendants dispute the allegations.

Historical case counts

Report	Pending	Total filed
September 1, 2026	4,185	4,503
August 3, 2026	4,156	4,460

What the litigation alleges

The tracked claims concern implanted medical device / design-defect and failure-to-warn claim (federal mdl), including device breakage on removal, retained fragments, and removal surgery. These are allegations; defendants dispute liability and causation.

Stage and bellwether status

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.

Bellwether record: Filed jury verdict, Case 1:21-cv-03861-LMM, Document 248. Court-document copy hosted by ALM; this is not a settlement.

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.

Individual claims: No individual payment schedule or official payout grid verified.