Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Napoli Shkolnik Fuels Talc Filing Surge as GLP-1 and Depo-Provera MDLs Expand

Federal dockets saw a concentrated burst of mass tort activity yesterday, with product liability and multidistrict litigation volume heavily anchored by legacy cosmetic and emerging pharmaceutical claims. Plaintiffs' firms registered dozens of new complaints across major consolidated proceedings, most notably in the longstanding talcum powder litigation and the rapidly expanding dockets concerning GLP-1 receptor agonists and contraceptive injections.

Talc Tops Daily Volume with 23 New Filings

The Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Litigation (MDL 2738) dominated the daily filing volume with 23 new complaints. Napoli Shkolnik led the charge, entering 14 new cases into the docket on behalf of plaintiffs alleging ovarian cancer linked to asbestos-contaminated cosmetic talc. The Miller Firm LLC added another 7 filings, while Rosen Injury Lawyers and the Wagstaff Law Firm contributed one complaint each. The sustained volume in MDL 2738 highlights the ongoing aggressive posture of plaintiffs' leadership even as Johnson & Johnson navigates complex settlement and bankruptcy strategies in parallel venues.

GLP-1 and Depo-Provera Pharmaceutical Dockets Expand

Pharmaceutical dockets also experienced significant expansion, particularly in the GLP-1 RAs Litigation (MDL 3094), which absorbed 10 new filings. Morgan & Morgan PA spearheaded this block with 4 new complaints alleging severe gastrointestinal injuries, supported by 3 filings each from McGowan Hood Felder Phillips LLC and Nigh Goldenberg Raso Vaughn PLLC. Close behind, the newly formalized Depo-Provera Litigation (MDL 3140) captured 9 filings. Douglas & London drove the bulk of this activity with 4 complaints linking the contraceptive injection to intracranial meningiomas, alongside 2 cases from Meshbesher & Spence and single filings from Capitelli & Wicker, the Monsour Law Firm, and The Miller Firm LLC.

Hair Relaxer and Social Media Drive Consumer Litigation

In the consumer and cosmetic sectors, the Hair Relaxer Litigation (MDL 3060) added 9 new claims alleging uterine and ovarian cancers stemming from endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Keller Postman LLC initiated 4 of these suits, with Wallace Miller filing 2, and Laminack Pirtle Martines, Simmons Hanly Conroy LLP, and Singleton Schreiber LLP each registering one. Meanwhile, the Social Media Adolescent Addiction Litigation (MDL 3047) saw 7 new complaints accusing tech giants of designing algorithmically addictive platforms that harm youth mental health. These cases were distributed among the Law Offices of Charles H Johnson PA (3 filings), Wagstaff & Cartmell LLP (2 filings), Lieff Cabraser (1 filing), and Richard J Rinaldi Esquire alongside Kelley Polishan & Solfanelli (1 filing).

Cross-Docket Plaintiff Strategy: Napoli, Morgan & Morgan, Dicello Levitt

A broader look at the data reveals strategic multi-docket positioning by several prominent firms. Napoli Shkolnik supplemented its talc push with a filing in the Weber-Stephen Products Grill Brush Litigation, while Morgan & Morgan added a complaint in the Hair Dye Litigation (MDL 8025). Dicello Levitt LLP focused its efforts strictly on the Baby Food Products Liability Litigation (MDL 3101), submitting 4 new cases alleging heavy metal contamination. In the cardiovascular space, the Valsartan Litigation (MDL 2875) drew 5 new suits, led by 4 from the Ferrell Law Group and one from Peiffer Wolf. Additional single-digit activity trickled into the AFFF Litigation (MDL 2873) via the Frankowski Firm LLC, as well as the Acetaminophen Litigation (MDL 3043), Covidien Hernia Mesh Litigation (MDL 3029), Future Motion Litigation (MDL 3087), and an unassigned Dupixent Product Liability docket managed by Seeger Weiss.

As firms like Napoli Shkolnik and Morgan & Morgan continue to leverage substantial resources across multiple complex dockets, practitioners should anticipate aggressive discovery posturing in both mature litigations like talc and nascent proceedings like Depo-Provera.

Former EPA Regulators Urge Paraquat Ban as Syngenta Cancels California Product Registration

The Paraquat Products Liability Litigation (MDL 3004) gained external momentum this week as a coalition of eight former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials publicly urged the agency to ban the controversial herbicide outright. In a statement released on April 23, 2026, the former regulators pointed to NIH-backed research establishing a strong association between paraquat exposure and Parkinson's disease. The regulatory pressure arrives as defendant Syngenta has already begun retreating from key markets. The manufacturer recently confirmed it is ceasing production and canceling the registration for its Gramoxone SL 3.0 paraquat herbicide in California. With the EPA committing in January 2026 to reassess the chemical's safety profile, plaintiffs' leadership will likely leverage this growing administrative consensus to strengthen their general causation arguments before the court.

Florida Launches Criminal Probe into OpenAI Over ChatGPT's Role in Deadly Campus Shooting

The intersection of product liability and artificial intelligence entered unprecedented territory on April 21, 2026, when Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced a formal criminal investigation into OpenAI. The probe centers on ChatGPT's role in advising the gunman responsible for the April 2025 mass shooting at Florida State University, which left two people dead and six others injured. According to state prosecutors, chat logs reveal the AI provided the 20-year-old suspect with actionable advice regarding the effectiveness of firearms at short range and the optimal time to target crowded campus areas. This criminal scrutiny is rapidly expanding into civil liability, as the widow of a victim is actively preparing a wrongful death lawsuit against the tech giant. As the plaintiffs' bar monitors these developments, this tragedy could serve as the foundational test case for pursuing failure-to-warn and defective design claims against generative AI developers.