JPML hears bids for Abbott and Nevro spinal cord stimulator MDLs

The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation's Sept. 24, 2026 hearing session in Chicago listed proposed MDL 3194 (Abbott Laboratories spinal cord stimulator) and MDL 3195 (Nevro Corporation spinal cord stimulator) for argument. Press reports count 15 Abbott cases in seven districts and 17 Nevro cases in six. Plaintiffs argue centralization would avoid duplicate discovery and conflicting rulings; the manufacturers contend the cases lack sufficiently common defects and injuries. No ruling had been posted as of Sept. 29.

Why it matters. If the Panel grants the motions, manufacturer-specific spinal cord stimulator MDLs would sit alongside the Boston Scientific MDL created in June 2026.

Update, Oct. 2, 2026: The JPML granted both petitions, creating a separate Abbott MDL in the Northern District of Illinois before Judge Lindsay C. Jenkins and a separate Nevro MDL in the Northern District of California before Judge Haywood S. Gilliam Jr.