Daily Intelligence Brief
Depo-Provera Posts 13 New Filings On April 6 As Talc And Hair Relaxer Each Add Six
The Depo-Provera Products Liability Litigation (MDL 3140) (N.D. Fla., Judge M. Casey Rodgers) led the April 6 docket with 13 new meningioma complaints as the MDL pushes past 3,100 pending actions ahead of a December 7 bellwether in Toney v. Pfizer. Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder (MDL 2738) and Hair Relaxer (MDL 3060) each added 6 filings, with Talc maintaining its position atop the nation's largest docket at 67,376 pending actions. The GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Products Liability (Gastroparesis) Litigation (MDL 3094), Uber Technologies Passenger Sexual Assault Litigation (MDL 3084), and Abbott Preterm Infant Nutrition Products Liability Litigation (MDL 3026) each contributed 3 new complaints. LexGenius tracking recorded 46 new filings across all monitored dockets for the day.Uber Sexual Assault MDL's Second Bellwether Opens April 13 After $8.5 Million First Verdict
The Uber Technologies, Inc., Passenger Sexual Assault Litigation (MDL 3084) (N.D. Cal., Judge Charles R. Breyer) begins jury selection for its second bellwether trial on April 13, just six weeks after the first bellwether produced an $8.5 million verdict for plaintiff Jaylynn Dean — establishing that Uber's failure to implement adequate driver screening and in-ride safety measures can sustain substantial damages. The second bellwether plaintiff, identified as WHB 823, alleges sexual assault by an Uber driver in North Carolina in March 2019, with Judge Breyer proposing an expanded twelve-member jury over Uber's objection. With 3,391 pending actions and ride-share assault filings running at their highest weekly clip this year, the second trial will test whether the first verdict's liability framework holds across different jurisdictions and fact patterns. Opening statements are expected April 15.Hair Relaxer Defendants File 100-Page Daubert Challenge Targeting All Ten Plaintiff Experts
Defendants in the Hair Relaxer Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation (MDL 3060) (N.D. Ill., Judge Mary M. Rowland) met the April 1 deadline to file their general causation Rule 702 motions, submitting 100 pages of briefing challenging all ten plaintiff expert witnesses in the most consequential pending decision for the nation's fifth-largest active MDL. The motions attack the epidemiological and toxicological methodology linking chemical hair straightener use to uterine, ovarian, and endometrial cancers, following a Science Day hearing held January 8 where both sides previewed their causation evidence. With 11,195 actions pending and 61 new complaints filed this past week, the litigation's continued growth stands in tension with the existential risk the motions pose — an adverse ruling from Judge Rowland could prevent bellwether trials expected in 2027 and effectively end the docket. Plaintiff response briefs are expected in May.Generated by LexGenius Feed. Signals sourced from PACER federal court dockets, FDA/OpenFDA adverse event database, Federal Register, PubMed, and Google News.
