Judges Reject Bid to MDL 3 Depo-Provera Cases

WASHINGTON - Too few pending federal lawsuits over the contraceptive device Depo-Provera have led a federal judicial panel on multidistrict litigation to reject a motion to centralize the claims in one court. In Re: Depo-Provera Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 1856 (JPML).

According to an Aug. 6 order denying the motion to create an MDL for the Depo-Provera cases, the JPML said it was not persuaded that centralization of the claims would serve the convenience of the parties or further the just and efficient conduct of the litigation.

Plaintiffs in a California lawsuit moved for coordinated pretrial proceedings in the …