Lawsuit Information Center
Our firm’s national mass tort lawyers continuously monitor and track events in the various class action MDLs pending in the federal courts (MDL Docket #s). We track the volume of new cases being filed or transferred into each MDL every month, the trends or patterns in new case filings, and the status of bellwether trials, discovery, and other proceedings. And, of course, we track mass tort settlement amounts.
With a new year, we are starting to get a clearer picture of what we can expect in 2025 from the various mass tort MDLs, including those ready to grow and those ready to settle.
This post examines the hottest, biggest, and most compelling mass torts in 2025. If you click the individual links, we also project these settlement amounts.
The Biggest Class Action MDLs in 2025
For the last several years, the biggest MDL by far has been the 3M Earplugs MDL. At one point, the 3M Earplugs MDL had around 300,000 pending cases, making it the biggest MDL ever. The 3M Earplugs MDL is technically still pending, and with over 100,000 cases, it would still be the “biggest.” However, we omitted it from this list because the litigation is essentially over. Below is our revised list of the biggest mass tort MDLs (by number of pending cases or claims) in 2025:
#1 Talcum Powder Lawsuit
The second biggest class action MDL is still the talcum powder class action against Johnson & Johnson. These cases allege that chronic exposure to talc in products such as baby powder caused cancer. As of January 2025, there are 58,000 pending cases in the talc class action MDL.
For the last few years, this litigation has been on and off again, as J&J has made several notable attempts to resolve the cases through bankruptcy. After those efforts were unsuccessful again March 2025, the litigation is back on, for now. Hopefully, these cases settle soon.
#2 C.R. Bard Hernia Mesh Lawsuit
The C.R. Bard Hernia Mesh MDL is the largest of several multidistrict litigation cases involving defective hernia mesh patches manufactured by various companies. As of January 2025, there were over 24,000 plaintiffs with pending cases in the C.R. Bard Hernia Mesh MDL. Hundreds of new hernia mesh lawsuits have been transferred into this multidistrict litigation (MDL) over the last six months, making it one of the more active mass torts.
An agreement to settle most of the Bard lawsuits was reached in October of last year so this MDL will be winding down in 2025. But new suits will continue to be filed and our firm is still taking new cases.
#3: Hair Relaxer Lawsuit
In October of 2022, a groundbreaking study from NIH was published showing that regular use of chemical hair relaxer products could significantly increase the risk of uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, and other conditions such as endometriosis and uterine fibroids. This immediately prompted a wave of hair relaxer cancer lawsuits that were promptly consolidated into a new class action MDL.
The size of the potential plaintiff field for the hair relaxer class action litigation is massive. Millions of African American women in the U.S. use hair relaxers on a regular basis their entire adult lives. That means that almost every black woman diagnosed with uterine or ovarian cancer is a potential plaintiff.
At this time last year, we were making some very bold predictions about this MDL growing to 15,000 or even 20,000 cases. For the first few months of 2024 it looked liked those predictions might come true as 6,000 new cases were added in a span of just 3 months. Since then, however, the pace of new cases has slowed down significantly. As of January 2025, there are 9,819 pending cases in the MDL. That is still enough to rank #3 on the list of biggest mass torts.
MDLs to Watch
#1 Paraquat Parkinson’s Lawsuit
The Paraquat class action MDL is reported to have been settled in April 2025. A large docket of state court cases remains outstanding.
There are almost 6,000 pending cases in the Paraquat MDL. We do not know the terms of the settlement or what the rules governing it will be. A trial is scheduled in state court for June. It is hard to imagine that the defendants would let one of these cases go to trial.
Parkinson’s disease is a brutal condition. I do not think the defendants will let these cases go to trial. So, if the defendants do not prevail on Daubert—and all indications are that they will not—my guess is that these state court cases will settle before the end of the year.
#2 Paragard IUD Lawsuit
The Paragard lawsuits allege that the Paragard IUD device had a design defect that caused it to fracture during removal, leaving pieces inside the body. As of January 2025, the Paragard class action MDL has 2,882 pending cases.
The growth trend in the Paragard MDL was always very steady, but it slowed down significantly last year. This MDL has been moving extremely slowly. In fact, if we had a category on this page for “slowest MDLs,” this would be #1. That being said, we finally have bellwether trials set for 2025 (assuming the MDL judge doesn’t find a reason to postpone), so we could see some developments in Paragard in 2025.
#3 Tepezza Hearing Loss Lawsuit
Tepezza is a new prescription drug that is taken in a series of injections to treat thyroid eye disease (TED). Soon after Tepezza was released on the U.S. market, reports started coming back that a high percentage of patients who received Tepezza injections were suffering permanent hearing loss.
Additional scientific research eventually established that the hearing damage was a side effect of Tepezza and it was often permanent. Moreover, the manufacturer of Tepezza failed to disclose the true risk of this side effect.
Anyone who suffered permanent hearing loss or tinnitus (ringing in the ears) after receiving Tepezza injections may be eligible to file a lawsuit and get financial compensation. A growing number of Tepezza lawsuits have been filed across the country, and the Tepezza lawsuits in federal courts were consolidated into an MDL in 2024. So far, growth in this MDL has been slow; however, these cases are widely viewed as solid and likely to settle in 2025 or 2026.
#4 Bard PowerPort Lawsuit
The Bard PowerPort is a port catheter medical device that is implanted under a patient’s skin to give doctors direct access to veins for regular and convenient attachment to catheters for fluid and medication delivery intravenously. Design and manufacturing flaws in the Bard PowerPort have made this device highly prone to fracture and/or migrate after being implanted. These events usually result in serious complications and injuries, including infection and internal vascular damage.
Patients who received a Bard PowerPort implant device and suffered serious injuries when the PowerPort fractured or migrated after implantation can file a product liability lawsuit and seek compensation. A growing volume of Bard PowerPort lawsuits have already been filed in federal courts around the U.S.
A Bard PowerPort class action MDL was created back in 2023. For the first 10 months the volume of new cases added to the MDL was very slow, but in the second half of last year we saw big surge in new cases. This MDL went from around 150 cases at the start of 2024, to 891 pending cases as we head into 2025.
#5 Roundup Cancer Lawsuit
Roundup was once the most popular consumer weedkiller product on the market. But recent evidence linking the chemical in Roundup (glyphosate) to cancer prompted a flood of Roundup product liability lawsuits. After a series of massive verdicts in 2018-2019, Monsanto (Bayer) started settling large blocks of cases.
Bayer won 10 in a row with the remaining Roundup lawsuits. Smoke and mirrors were involved. Bayer settled the best cases and let the weaker cases go to trial. One case was so awful that it was dismissed in the middle of the trial.
But Bayer got overconfident. It started believing its own press clipping and forgot its win-loss record was because they were scheduling the weakest cases for trial. Then, it lost five cases in a row, losing billions in the process. Things seemed poised for a settlement, but then Bayer started winning some hand-picked cases at trial. 2025 will be an interesting year for Roundup in terms of whether Bayer continues its strategy of trending water or makes a serious attempt to resolve these claims.
#6 Social Media Addiction Lawsuit
This MDL consolidates numerous lawsuits alleging that companies like Meta (operating Facebook and Instagram), ByteDance (TikTok), Google (YouTube), and Snap (Snapchat) have designed addictive algorithms. These algorithms are claimed to keep users, especially youths, engaged for unhealthy lengths of time, leading to mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and suicidal ideation.
In January 2023, these social media addiction lawsuits were merged into an MDL presided over by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in the Northern District of California. As of January 2025, the MDL comprises over 900 lawsuits.
The core of these lawsuits is the assertion that social media platforms deliberately exploit the vulnerability of users through addictive features that result in significant harm. The major platforms involved are currently facing these allegations are trying to hide behind the skirt of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and the First Amendment rights. But so far, that has not proved to be the magic elixir defense they hoped.
Currently, the MDL is still in the pre-trial phase, focusing on addressing motions to dismiss, and no settlements or jury verdicts have been reached. This social media addiction litigation is expected to grow even more in 2025.
#7 Valsartan Lawsuits
The Valsartan lawsuits have been pending in a class action MDL for several years now. The lawsuits allege that certain batches of the drug were contaminated with NDMA (a known carcinogen) during the manufacturing process. The plaintiffs are seeking damages for injuries including liver damage and gastric cancer.
As of January 2025, there are 1,288 pending cases in the Valsartan MDL. The first trial is now expected this fall.
Class Actions Most Likely to Settle in 2025
Based on what our lawyers have been hearing, one mass tort MDL seems most likely to be resolved with global settlements in 2025.
#1: AFFF Firefighting Foam Lawsuit
The AFFF firefighting foam lawsuits allege that exposure to so-called forever chemicals in AFFF firefighting foam (used to put out large fires) caused countless firefighters and military veterans to develop cancer. As of January 2025, there are 7,600 AFFF cancer lawsuits pending in the MDL.
There is widespread speculation that a global settlement deal could be in the works for the AFFF lawsuits. The defendants have already settled most cases brought by municipalities. So a global AFFF settlement makes sense, and it could happen in 2025. We think these are really strong cases.
Class Actions Ready to Grow in 2025
The class action MDLs in this section are those that are ready to post explosive growth because of the size of the potential plaintiff field or other circumstances.
#1 Depo-Provera Brain Tumor Lawsuits
Depo-Provera is better known as the “birth control shot.” It is an injection that provides birth control for up to 3 months as an alternative to taking the pill every day. Depo-Provera has been around for decades and thousands of women have taken it for birth control.
New scientific evidence has shown that extended use of Depo-Provera can significantly increase the risk of developing certain types of brain tumors called meningiomas. The evidence linking Depo-Provera to meningioma tumors is very strong. Thousands of women who took Depo-Provera and were later diagnosed with meningiomas are now bringing Depo-Provera brain tumor lawsuits.
This mass tort is #1 on this list for 2 reasons. First, the interest level in these cases among plaintiffs’ attorneys is very high right now. Second, the size of the potential plaintiff field is large. According to the FDA, an estimated 25% of the adult female population received the birth control shot at least once.
#2 Hernia Mesh Lawsuit (non-Bard)
A hernia mesh is a small, screen-like implant that is used to reinforce muscle and tissue after a hernia repair surgery. A number of different permanent hernia mesh products have design flaws related to the material they are made out of that has caused them to malfunction resulting in post-implantation complications and injuries.
This has led to a large wave of hernia mesh lawsuits that have been settled. More claims again Covidien and other manufacturers remain. But our firm is still seeking more hernia mesh victims for Bard and other manufacturers.
#3 Uber Driver Sex Abuse Lawsuit
A growing number of lawsuits are being filed alleging that Uber drivers sexually assaulted passengers. Lawsuits are being filed against Uber for allegedly being negligent in its screening and monitoring of drivers and for ignoring complaints and red flags. The Uber driver sex abuse lawsuits have been consolidated into an MDL in the Northern District of California. These are really strong lawsuits. The per-person settlement amounts we think will be astronomical.
New Class Action MDLs
Below are two new mass torts that are on their way to becoming class actions and being consolidated into MDLs. We don’t have MDLs for either of these yet, but that should happen within the next few months.
Suboxone Tooth Decay Lawsuit
Suboxone is a drug that is used to treat opioid addiction and dependency. Suboxone is administered in a sublingual (under the tongue) insert that dissolves in the mouth.
Unfortunately, Suboxone causes dry mouth and severe tooth decay. Although the drug’s manufacturers were well aware of this fact for years, they refused to include a warning about tooth decay on the drug’s product label.
It was only after the FDA issued a public safety warning about Suboxone tooth decay that a warning label was added. Now thousands of people who used the drug and suffered tooth decay or dental injuries are expected to file Suboxone tooth decay lawsuits.
There is now an MDL class action lawsuit. This will be really big litigation.
Ozempic Gallbladder Lawsuit
Ozempic is a very popular diabetes drug, and recently it has been widely used as a weight loss drug. Recent evidence has shown, however, that using Ozempic at high doses (which is common for weight loss) can cause serious problems with the gallbladder, including gallstones and gallbladder disease. Individuals who used Ozempic and suffered gallbladder injuries are now filing Ozempic lawsuits against the drug.
This will be litigation, and there will be plaintiffs who have a lot of damages. But there will also be many more minor injury cases where the victim had real complications, but only for a limited period of time, and they are perfectly fine now. So, putting a settlement amount on those cases will be a challenge.
There is one wild card here that will drive settlement payouts in the plaintiffs’ favor. These companies are printing money with these new obesity-fighting drugs. This litigation is a distraction they will want to rid themselves of as soon as feasible.
Heavy Metal Baby Food Lawsuit
A new baby food MDL was been established in 2024, consolidating lawsuits against major baby food manufacturers in the United States.
The consolidated lawsuits allege that certain baby food products contain unsafe levels of heavy metals, such as arsenic, lead, and mercury. Saying “allege” is understating the case. These products clearly contain heavy metals that pose significant health risks, potentially causing developmental issues in infants and children, including conditions like autism and ADHD. The defendants in this MDL include prominent companies such as Gerber, Beech-Nut, Walmart, and Campbell Soup Company.
In April 2024, all related federal lawsuits were merged into a single case, which is being overseen by Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley in the Northern District of California. While it is still too early to predict the outcome of this litigation, baby food lawyers are growing bullish on it.
Zimmer Hip Replacement Lawsuits
In July 2024, Zimmer Biomet announced a national recall of all its hip replacement implants. The recall was prompted by new research which found that individuals with the Zimmer metal implant devices installed were at a significantly higher risk of suffering a thigh bone fracture compared to those with other implants.
The recall is expected to lead to a wave of Zimmer hip replacement lawsuits across the country. There is no MDL for the Zimmer hip replacement cases yet, but that seems to be a very likely scenario in the near future.
BioZorb Implant Lawsuits
The BioZorb is an implant that was designed as a tissue marker fin lumpectomy surgeries. New evidence has shown that the BioZorb can cause serious complications, including chronic pain, scarring, and the need for additional surgeries. Despite its promise to aid in recovery, the device has led to outcomes that were not fully disclosed by its manufacturer, Hologic. BioZorb implant lawsuits are now being filed across the country and this litigation could gain major momentum next year.
Oxbryta Lawsuits
Oxbryta is a relatively new drug that was supposed to help treat the symptoms of sickle cell disease. Shortly after Oxbryta was released on the U.S. market in 2019, however, evidence began to show that this drug actually increased some of the symptoms of sickle cell disease, such as vaso-occlusive crises or VOCs. In September 2024 Oxbryta was voluntarily recalled due to these safety concerns, which has prompted what is expected to be a steady wave of Oxbryta lawsuits.
Dockets for Class Action MDLs
| MDL | DISTRICT ECF LINK | CASE # FOR QUERY |
| 3M Earplugs | N.D. Florida | 3:19-md-2885 |
| Acetaminophen | SDNY | 1:22-md-03043 |
| AFFF | D. South Carolina | 2:18-mn-2873 |
| Bard PowerPort | D. Arizona | 2:23-md-03081 |
| Camp Lejeune | E.D. North Carolina | 7:23-cv-00897 |
| CPAP | W.D. Pennsylvania | 2:21-mc-1230 |
| Depo Provera | N.D. Florida | 3:25-md-3140 |
| Elmiron | D. New Jersey | 2:20-md-2973 |
| Exactech | E.D. New York | 1:22-md-03044 |
| Gardasil | W.D. North Carolina | 3:22-md-03036 |
| Hair Relaxer | N.D. Illinois | 1:23-cv-00818 |
| Hernia Mesh (Bard) | S.D. Ohio | 2:18-md-2846 |
| NEC Formula | N.D. Illinois | 1:22-cv-00071 |
| OneWheel Injury | N.D. Cal. | 5:23-md-03087 |
| Ozempic | E.D. Pa. | 2:24-md-03094 |
| Paragard IUD | N.D. Georgia | 1:20-md-2974 |
| Paraquat | S.D. Illinois | 3:21-md-3004 |
| Roundup | N.D. Cal. | 16-md-2741 |
| Social Media Addiction | N.D. Cal. | 4:22-md-03047 |
| Suboxone Tooth Decay | N.D. Ohio | 1:24-md-03092 |
| Talcum Powder | D. New Jersey | 3:16-md-02738 |
| Tepezza | N.D. Illinois | 1:23-cv-03568 |
| Toxic Baby Food | N.D. Cal. | 3:24-md-3101 |
| Uber Sex Assault | N.D. Cal. | 3:23-md-03084 |
| Valsartan | D. New Jersey | 1:19-md-02875 |
| Zantac | S.D. Florida | 20-md-2924 |
Largest MDLs
| Location | Judge | MDL Number | Description | Case Count | Case Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FLN | M. Casey Rodgers (U.S. District Judge) | MDL-2885 | IN RE: 3M Combat Arms Earplug Products Liability Litigation (will shrink quickly with settlement) | 148,528 | 391,462 |
| NJ | Michael A. Shipp (U.S. District Judge) | MDL-2738 | IN RE: Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Products Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation | 58,201 | 59,370 |
| OHS | Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. (U.S. District Judge) | MDL-2846 | IN RE: Davol, Inc./C.R. Bard, Inc., Polypropylene Hernia Mesh Products Liability Litigation (settlement will shrink numbers) | 24,100 | 24,972 |
| NJ | Claire C. Cecchi (U.S. District Judge) | MDL-2789 | IN RE: Proton-Pump Inhibitor Products Liability Litigation (No. II) | 11,975 | 18,706 |
| ILN | Mary M. Rowland (U.S. District Judge) | MDL-3060 | IN RE: Hair Relaxer Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation | 9,649 | 11,439 |
| LAE | Jane Triche Milazzo (U.S. District Judge) | MDL-2740 | IN RE: Taxotere (Docetaxel) Products Liability Litigation | 9,025 | 15,576 |
| FLS | Robin L. Rosenberg (U.S. District Judge) | MDL-2924 | IN RE: Zantac (Ranitidine) Products Liability Litigation | 2,427 | 15,018 |
| OHN | J. Philip Calabrese (U.S. District Judge) | MDL-3092 | IN RE: Suboxone (Buprenorphine/Naloxone) Film Products Liability Litigation | 716 | 724 |
| PAE | Karen S. Marston (U.S. District Judge) | MDL-3094 | IN RE: Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists (GLP-1 RAs) Products Liability Litigation | 1,300 | 1,302 |
| ILN | Rebecca R. Pallmeyer (U.S. District Judge) | MDL-3026 | IN RE: Abbott Laboratories, et al., Preterm Infant Nutrition Products Liability Litigation | 626 | 725 |
| SC | Richard M. Gergel (U.S. District Judge) | MDL-2873 | IN RE: Aqueous Film-Forming Foams Products Liability Litigation | 7,370 | 11,163 |
| CAN | William H. Orrick, III (U.S. District Judge) | MDL-2913 | IN RE: Juul Labs, Inc., Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation | 198 | 7,069 |
| CAN | Charles R. Breyer (Sr. District Judge) | MDL-3084 | IN RE: Uber Technologies, Inc., Passenger Sexual Assault Litigation | 1,459 | 1,468 |
| ILS | Nancy J. Rosenstengel (Chief Judge, USDC) | MDL-3004 | IN RE: Paraquat Products Liability Litigation | 5,835 | 7,167 |