Abilify Lawsuit: Compulsive Gambling Claims, Settled in the U.S. and Canada
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The Abilify lawsuits allege that the antipsychotic aripiprazole caused compulsive gambling, shopping, binge eating and hypersexuality, and that the makers did not warn about it. In the U.S., the federal MDL settled through a confidential private deal in 2019 that covered only people who had already filed suit. In Canada, a CDN $14.75 million class settlement was approved, and its claim deadline passed on November 12, 2025. As of October 2026 we found no open claim form or deadline in either country.
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Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
What the Abilify Lawsuits Allege
Abilify (aripiprazole) is an atypical antipsychotic prescribed for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and Tourette’s disorder. The lawsuits allege that it can trigger uncontrollable urges — above all compulsive gambling, but also compulsive shopping, binge eating and compulsive sexual behavior — and that Bristol-Myers Squibb and Otsuka knew or should have known and did not warn adequately. The claims are disputed; the Canadian settlement is expressly not an admission of liability or wrongdoing, and the confidential U.S. terms are not public.
The regulatory backdrop: in a 2016 Drug Safety Communication, the FDA said compulsive urges to gamble, binge eat, shop and have sex had been reported with aripiprazole (Abilify, Abilify Maintena, Aristada and generics), that the urges were reported to stop when the drug was stopped or the dose reduced, and that the earlier label mention of pathological gambling did not fully reflect the risk. The FDA added new warnings to the labels and Medication Guides.
Case Details
United States. On October 3, 2016 the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated the federal cases as In re: Abilify (Aripiprazole) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2734, No. 3:16-md-2734, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida (Pensacola) before Judge M. Casey Rodgers. The defendants are Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. Parallel state cases ran in New Jersey (In re Abilify, MCL No. 626) and in California.
Canada. Kirsh v. Bristol-Myers Squibb, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Court File No. CV-16-553833-00CP (Justice E.M. Morgan), and a parallel Quebec action, Court File No. 500-06-00083-160, against Bristol-Myers Squibb, Otsuka and Lundbeck.
Separate matter. On December 8, 2016, California, 42 other states and the District of Columbia announced a $19.5 million agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb over allegations of off-label Abilify marketing (for example, certain pediatric uses and dementia). That money went to the states, not to patients.
Status: Settled, No Open Claim Process
Canada: settled, claims closed. The Ontario and Quebec courts approved a CDN $14.75 million settlement on December 23, 2024 and February 7, 2025. The claim deadline was November 12, 2025; late claims risk being extinguished. As of October 2026 we could not confirm the payment status, and we found no reopened claim period.
Who Was Covered
U.S. settlement: only people who had a filed Abilify compulsivity lawsuit pending as of January 28, 2019 (or a case then being transferred into the MDL) and who signed a release. It reached people through their own lawyers. If you never sued, you were not part of it, and there is nothing to sign up for now.
Canadian settlement: people in Canada who were prescribed and took Abilify before February 23, 2017 and/or received Abilify Maintena injections between February 6, 2014 and December 16, 2016, developed compulsive gambling, hypersexuality, compulsive shopping or binge eating, plus family members and estates. The claim deadline was November 12, 2025.
Generic aripiprazole users should note that the U.S. settlement defined “Abilify” as aripiprazole-derived products including Abilify and Abilify Maintena; it did not create any new claim route.
What the Settlements Paid
Canada: the fund was CDN $14,750,000. From it came $368,750 for provincial public health insurers, court-approved class counsel fees of $5,350,697 plus disbursements and taxes, and notice and administration costs. The approval notice estimated roughly CDN $8.5 million for approved claims, split under a court-approved distribution protocol. Not every class member qualifies. Claims closed November 12, 2025.
How cases like this one end
Our copy of the federal courts’ own case database covers 166,050 health care/pharmaceutical product liability casesclosed in U.S. federal district courts between 2015 and 2025:
- 34.5% ended in a settlement recorded by the court. Another 17.9% were dismissed voluntarily, which often follows a private settlement — so the real settlement share sits between 34.5% and 52.4%.
- 9% were decided on a motion before any trial.
- 1 in 2,863 reached a trial (0%), after a median of 32 months.
- Median time from filing to the end of the case: 26.3 months.
- Almost none record a money award in this data (18 of 166,050), and the recorded figures are capped, so we do not publish an average.
These are base rates for this type of case (health Care/Pharmaceutical Product Liability) — not a prediction about this lawsuit, and not legal advice. Source: Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (civil), analysed by Settlement Insight. Cases heard in state courts are not included.
Abilify Litigation Timeline
- 1
2016 — FDA Adds Compulsive-Behavior Warnings
The FDA warns that compulsive urges to gamble, binge eat, shop and have sex have been reported with aripiprazole and adds new warnings to labels and Medication Guides.
- 2
October 3, 2016 — Federal MDL 2734 Created
The JPML sends the federal cases to the Northern District of Florida before Judge M. Casey Rodgers. In December, state attorneys general settle a separate off-label marketing case for $19.5 million.
- 3
February 15, 2019 — U.S. Master Settlement
Bristol-Myers Squibb and Otsuka sign a confidential private settlement covering cases pending as of January 28, 2019. The court sets participation deadlines running to August 30, 2019.
- 4
March 13, 2020 — Canadian Class Certified
Ontario certifies a national class action against Bristol-Myers Squibb, Otsuka and Lundbeck; Quebec authorized its action on December 12, 2019. Appeals ended February 28, 2022.
- 5
December 23, 2024 – February 7, 2025 — Canada Approves CDN $14.75M
The Ontario and Quebec courts approve the settlement and appoint MNP Ltd. as administrator. The approval notice runs March 17, 2025.
- 6
November 12, 2025 — Canadian Claim Deadline Passes
The last day to file a Canadian claim. As of October 2026, no claim process is open in the U.S. or Canada.
Three Things to Watch For
Old mass torts with confidential payouts attract recycled ads and fake “late claim” offers:
“File your Abilify settlement claim” sites
The U.S. deal never had a public claim form, and the Canadian deadline passed on November 12, 2025. A site asking for your Social Security number or medication history to “reserve a payment” is collecting data, not filing a claim.
Fees to unlock a Canadian payment
The court-appointed administrator for the Canadian settlement is MNP Ltd. Legitimate administrators do not charge class members a release fee. Verify any message through the notice on the official settlement website, not a number in the email.
“Average Abilify payout” numbers in ads
The U.S. settlement terms are confidential. Ads promising a specific per-person amount for compulsive gambling losses are marketing, not settlement data. Read any retainer carefully before signing.
Abilify Lawsuit — Questions People Actually Ask
Is there an Abilify class action lawsuit I can join right now?
Not that we could find as of October 2026. The U.S. federal cases (MDL 2734) settled privately in 2019, and the Canadian Abilify class action settlement closed claims on November 12, 2025. Anyone with a new injury claim would be bringing an individual lawsuit, which is a question for a licensed attorney.
What is the Abilify lawsuit about?
The lawsuits allege that Abilify (aripiprazole) caused compulsive gambling, shopping, binge eating and sexual behavior, and that Bristol-Myers Squibb and Otsuka failed to warn. The Canadian settlement is not an admission of liability or wrongdoing by the defendants.
How much was the Abilify settlement in the U.S.?
It is confidential. The Confidential Master Settlement Agreement dated February 15, 2019 resolved cases pending as of January 28, 2019; neither the total nor per-person amounts were made public.
Was the class action lawsuit Abilify users filed in Canada settled?
Yes. The Ontario and Quebec courts approved a CDN $14.75 million settlement on December 23, 2024 and February 7, 2025, with MNP Ltd. as administrator. The claim deadline was November 12, 2025.
I took generic aripiprazole. Was I covered?
The U.S. settlement order defined “Abilify” to include aripiprazole-derived products, but the deal only covered people who already had a case pending as of January 28, 2019. The Canadian class definition names Abilify and Abilify Maintena.
Did the government sue over Abilify too?
Yes, separately. On December 8, 2016, California, 42 other states and the District of Columbia announced a $19.5 million agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb over alleged off-label marketing. That money went to the states and did not pay individual patients.
I got a letter about an Abilify payment. Is it real?
The only consumer settlement with a claims process was the Canadian one, run by MNP Ltd., and its claim deadline passed. A U.S. letter offering to file an Abilify claim for a fee does not match any public settlement we found.
What should I do if Abilify is affecting me now?
Talk to your prescriber before changing anything. The FDA reported that the urges stopped when the drug was discontinued or the dose reduced, but stopping an antipsychotic on your own can be risky. Keep records of the prescription and of any losses.
Separate from this case: were you injured in the last 2 years?
Class-action payouts are fixed amounts through an administrator. A personal injury claim is a different case — and often worth far more. Free estimate, no obligation.