The census that matters is about 6,412 pending federal actions in MDL No. 3140, and the registry deadline that matters is November 30, 2026. Future-filed plaintiffs are excluded from the current settlement program and must follow a separate litigation track, while state filing deadlines still control new lawsuits.
MDL means multidistrict litigation, a procedure that moves similar federal lawsuits before one judge for pretrial management. Here that judge is M. Casey Rodgers in the Northern District of Florida, and the claims involve intracranial meningioma, a tumor of the membranes around the brain, linked to Depo-Provera, the depot medroxyprogesterone acetate birth-control injection.
Official resources:
- Read the official notice from Uscourts — Use this primary source to verify the official announcement.
- Explore the official data from Uscourts — Use this primary source to review the underlying data.
Table of Contents
- How large is the settlement census?
- Who must register by November 30?
- Why are future claimants excluded?
- Which filing deadline still controls a new lawsuit?
- What happens after the registry closes?
How large is the settlement census?
The settlement pool centers on pending federal Depo-Provera meningioma actions in MDL No. 3140. The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation reported about 6,412 pending actions in its October statistics report. Pfizer and plaintiffs' leadership reached a global agreement in principle on June 15, 2026. They signed a confidential Master Settlement Agreement in July 2026 covering meningioma claims in MDL 3140 and related New York cases, according to Case Management Order No.
14 from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida in its Case Management Order No. 14. The census is therefore backward-looking. It counts cases already pending in the federal pool, not later diagnoses or later filings.
Who must register by November 30?
Eligible claimants must register to participate in the Settlement Program by November 30, 2026. After that date, the administrator identifies ineligible claimants to the court. Judge Rodgers appointed BrownGreer PLC as settlement administrator on Aug. 5, 2026.
A Sept. 15, 2026 order created an administrative docket requiring counsel to upload eligible clients' complaints by Nov. 30, 2026, as described by LawFold in its case update. About 80% of pending MDL plaintiffs are expected to be eligible. About 20% of the 6,200-plus filed cases are ineligible based on filing date, diagnosis timing after last injection, and other criteria.
Why are future claimants excluded?
Future-filed plaintiffs do not enter the current program. DrugWatch reports that they remain on a separate litigation track with non-settling, ineligible, limitations, and latency plaintiffs under ongoing case-management orders. That separation preserves the settlement census.
It lets the administrator review a fixed group for eligibility, medical proof, and timing rules. For a reader diagnosed later, exclusion does not end legal options. It means a different path, with different proof demands and scheduling.
Which filing deadline still controls a new lawsuit?
November 30, 2026 is only the settlement-registration deadline. Separate state statutes of limitations can bar a new Depo-Provera lawsuit sooner and are not extended by registration.
A statute of limitations sets the last date to file a civil claim. The period varies by state and can turn on diagnosis date, discovery of the drug link, or prior filing history. Practical checks help avoid a missed deadline:.
- Confirm the state where suit would be filed and its personal-injury limitations period.
- Fix the date of meningioma diagnosis and last Depo-Provera injection.
- Ask counsel whether a tolling order, state rule, or prior filing changes the calculation.
- Do not treat settlement registration as a substitute for filing suit.
What happens after the registry closes?
Settlement terms and payout amounts remain confidential with no public claim form or matrix. Payments are expected to begin in Q1 2027. Claimants who continue litigating face document-intensive proof.
They must supply proof of use, meningioma records, sworn plaintiff fact sheets, and case-specific expert reports. Keep pharmacy records, injection records, imaging reports, pathology reports, and surgical notes together now. Ask counsel promptly whether your state limitations date falls before November 30, 2026.