Home / Health / Teva Loses Bid to Delay Paragard Lawsuit
Teva Loses Bid to Delay Paragard Lawsuit
13 Jan
Summary
- A Georgia federal judge denied Teva's request to delay a Paragard trial.
- The trial is the first of 3,800 lawsuits over the contraceptive device.
- Teva Pharmaceuticals argued an appeal would end the litigation.
A Georgia federal judge has ruled that Teva Pharmaceuticals cannot delay the first trial in thousands of lawsuits concerning its Paragard intrauterine contraceptive device. U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May rejected Teva's request to pause the trial, scheduled to commence on January 20, 2026. The company had sought to appeal a prior ruling that rejected its bid to have the plaintiffs' claims dismissed. Teva argued that a successful appeal would likely resolve the entire litigation, which encompasses 3,800 lawsuits filed in federal court.
Plaintiffs, however, opposed the delay, viewing it as a strategic maneuver to stall proceedings. The consolidated federal lawsuits are being overseen by Judge May, with the case of Pauline Rickard selected as the initial bellwether trial. Bellwether trials are crucial for assessing claims before juries and establishing their potential settlement value. The lawsuits allege that Teva failed to adequately warn women about the risk of the Paragard IUD breaking apart during removal, leading to injuries and fertility impacts.
Rickard's lawsuit, filed in 2021, claims she required multiple procedures for the removal of her Paragard IUD. Her case is the first of three planned bellwether trials. Teva sold Paragard to CooperSurgical in 2017, and claims against CooperSurgical have been dismissed. Teva faces claims from individuals who received the IUD while it owned the product. Judge May's decision to proceed with the trial underscores the immediate need for these cases to be heard.
