Paragard IUD Lawsuit in Georgia

Paragard cases from Georgia are filed directly into MDL 2974 — In re Paragard IUD Products Liability Litigation — pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division, before the Honorable Leigh Martin May. MDL 2974 consolidated over 20,000 Paragard claims from across the country. Upon filing, cases are transferred to N.D. Georgia for coordinated pretrial proceedings under the Case Management Orders issued by Judge May; individual cases return to home districts only for trial.

Georgia Statute of Limitations: Georgia Code § 9-3-33 (personal injury, 2 years) establishes a 2 years limitations period for personal injury and product liability claims. Georgia applies the discovery rule, tolling the 2-year period until the plaintiff knew or should have known of both the Paragard arm fracture and its causal connection to her injuries. As the MDL host state, Georgia federal courts in the N.D. Georgia district (Atlanta Division) have unique procedural familiarity with Paragard claims.

Transfer to N.D. Georgia MDL: Plaintiffs' counsel typically file Georgia Paragard cases directly in the Northern District of Georgia to enter MDL 2974, or file in Georgia federal court and receive transfer via JPML conditional transfer order. Either path results in cases being managed under Judge May's pretrial docket. Georgia plaintiffs are subject to the MDL's Plaintiff Fact Sheet requirements and the bellwether trial selection process.

Georgia is the MDL host state: all Paragard federal cases are centralized in N.D. Georgia before Judge Leigh May regardless of where the device was placed or where the plaintiff resides. Georgia itself has a growing population of reproductive-age women, particularly in the Atlanta metropolitan area, and state plaintiffs benefit from proximity to the MDL courthouse.