Risperdal Lawsuit: Old Breast Growth Cases Settled, New Breast Cancer Suits Pending
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Two waves of litigation share the name. The first — thousands of individual suits by men who say Risperdal (risperidone) made them grow breast tissue as boys — was largely resolved in 2021. The second, which is why the drug is back in the news, alleges that long-term use caused breast cancer; those cases are pending in California. Neither is a class action. As of October 2026 there is no Risperdal settlement fund, no claim form and no deadline to file with anyone.
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Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
What the Lawsuits Allege
Risperdal is Janssen's antipsychotic, a Johnson & Johnson company; risperidone is its generic name. The FDA approved it in 1993 for schizophrenia and bipolar mania in adults, and only in 2006 for irritability associated with autism in children.
Both waves of suits make a failure-to-warn claim. The gynecomastia cases allege that J&J knew Risperdal raises prolactin — a hormone that can stimulate breast development — and did not warn doctors who prescribed it to boys. The newer cases allege that the same hormonal effect raises breast cancer risk in adults and that the companies concealed it. J&J has denied the allegations.
The marketing behind these claims was the subject of a federal case. On November 4, 2013, the Justice Department announced that J&J would pay more than $2.2 billion over Risperdal, Invega and Natrecor. Janssen pleaded guilty to misbranding Risperdal in a period covering March 3, 2002 through December 31, 2003, and the government's civil complaint alleged promotion to elderly nursing-home residents, children and people with mental disabilities from 1999 through 2005.
Case Details
Breast growth (gynecomastia) cases: most were individual suits in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, with others in California and Missouri. On October 8, 2019 a Philadelphia jury awarded $8 billion in punitive damages to a Maryland man prescribed Risperdal in 2003 at age 9. On January 17, 2020 Judge Kenneth Powell cut that to $6.8 million, on top of $680,000 in compensatory damages. In May 2021 the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear J&J's appeal of a separate $70 million verdict.
Breast cancer cases: a suit against J&J, Eli Lilly (maker of Zyprexa) and Kaiser Permanente was filed in Alameda County Superior Court in April 2025, moved to federal court in May, and — per the plaintiffs' lawyers — sent back to state court by U.S. District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin on November 24, 2025. A separate wrongful-death case, Owens v. Johnson & Johnson, No. 3:25-cv-11129, was pending in the Northern District of California before Judge Rita F. Lin, according to the plaintiffs' lawyers' June 1, 2026 update; we could not read the docket.
Status: Breast Cancer Suits Pending, No Settlement
The gynecomastia litigation is largely over. In a filing reported on November 1, 2021, J&J said it had reached a settlement in principle in September 2021 to resolve “substantially all” of roughly 9,000 Risperdal cases, and it accrued $800 million for it. That was a deal with the lawyers of people who had already sued — not a public fund that anyone else can claim from.
The $2.2 billion federal resolution (2013) and a $181 million deal with 36 states and DC (2012) paid governments, not patients.
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There's no claim deadline yet. We'll email you if a settlement opens a claim period.
Who Is Affected — and Is There a Class Action?
There is no Risperdal class action to join. Searching for a class action lawsuit Risperdal patients can sign up for turns up law-firm intake forms, not a certified class. Drug injury claims like these are filed one person at a time because each depends on dose, duration, age and diagnosis. The same is true for anyone looking for a class action lawsuit risperidone users can join.
The people these suits describe are: men who took Risperdal as boys and developed gynecomastia (most of those cases have already settled), and adults who took Risperdal or risperidone long term and were later diagnosed with breast cancer.
Whether an individual claim is still possible depends on your state's filing deadline, which usually runs from diagnosis or discovery — see statutes of limitations by state. Keep your pharmacy records; they show which product and manufacturer you received.
Is There Any Money to Claim?
The figures that circulate online are real but do not apply to you unless you were a party. The $8 billion verdict was cut to $6.8 million. The 2021 deal covered people who had already sued, and its per-person terms were never published. The 2012 and 2013 government settlements went to federal and state programs.
No court has valued the breast cancer claims, and any result would come from an individual verdict or settlement, not a class payout.
How cases like this one end
Our copy of the federal courts’ own case database covers 627,540 product liability personal injury casesclosed in U.S. federal district courts between 2015 and 2025:
- 21.1% ended in a settlement recorded by the court. Another 51.6% were dismissed voluntarily, which often follows a private settlement — so the real settlement share sits between 21.1% and 72.6%.
- 0.9% were decided on a motion before any trial.
- 1 in 2,164 reached a trial (0%), after a median of 27.9 months.
- Median time from filing to the end of the case: 33.6 months.
- Only 147 of them (0%) record a money award at all; the median of those is $3,875,000.
These are base rates for this type of case (federal product liability personal injury cases) — 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.
Risperdal Litigation Timeline
- 1
2012 — States Settle for $181 Million
J&J agrees to pay $181 million to 36 states and the District of Columbia over Risperdal marketing claims.
- 2
November 4, 2013 — $2.2 Billion Federal Resolution
Janssen pleads guilty to misbranding Risperdal; the total includes $485 million in criminal fines and forfeiture and $1.72 billion in civil settlements over three drugs.
- 3
October 8, 2019 — $8 Billion Verdict
A Philadelphia jury awards punitive damages in a gynecomastia case. On January 17, 2020 the judge reduces it to $6.8 million.
- 4
September 2021 — Most Breast Growth Cases Settle
J&J reaches a settlement in principle covering substantially all of roughly 9,000 cases and accrues $800 million.
- 5
November 24, 2025 — Breast Cancer Case Returns to State Court
A federal judge sends the Alameda County breast cancer suit back to California state court, per the plaintiffs' lawyers.
- 6
October 2026 — Pending, No Settlement
Breast cancer suits continue in Alameda County and in the Northern District of California. No settlement, fund or claim form exists.
Three Things to Watch For
Big verdict numbers and a drug that millions have taken attract imposters:
“Claim your share of the $8 billion”
That verdict went to one plaintiff and was cut to $6.8 million in 2020. There is no fund behind it, and a site asking for your Social Security number to “register” for it is collecting data.
“Risperdal class action — sign up before the deadline”
There is no class and no claim deadline. Ads like this are usually intake forms for a lawyer. That may be a real choice, but it is a retainer, not a claim filing — read what you sign.
Calls about the “J&J Risperdal settlement payment”
The 2021 settlement was handled through the lawyers of people who had already sued. No administrator is cold-calling former patients, and no legitimate payment requires an upfront fee.
Risperdal Lawsuit — Questions People Actually Ask
Is there a Risperdal class action lawsuit?
No. As of October 2026 there is no certified Risperdal class action and no class settlement. Both the breast growth and the breast cancer claims are individual lawsuits.
What is the Risperdal lawsuit about right now?
The current cases allege that long-term Risperdal use raised prolactin and caused breast cancer, and that J&J did not warn about it. They are pending in Alameda County Superior Court and in federal court in Northern California. J&J denies the allegations.
Is there a Risperdal settlement I can claim from?
No. In 2021 J&J settled substantially all of roughly 9,000 existing gynecomastia cases, but only people who had sued were part of it. There is no public claim form.
Does a risperidone lawsuit work the same way as one over brand-name Risperdal?
Risperidone is Risperdal's generic name. Who can be sued can depend on which company made the pills you took, so your pharmacy records matter. There is no risperidone settlement either.
What happened to the $8 billion verdict?
A Philadelphia jury awarded it on October 8, 2019. Judge Kenneth Powell reduced it to $6.8 million on January 17, 2020. J&J's 2021 settlement included that plaintiff's lawyers.
Did the $2.2 billion settlement pay patients?
No. The November 4, 2013 resolution paid the federal government and states: $485 million in criminal fines and forfeiture and $1.72 billion in civil settlements, covering Risperdal, Invega and Natrecor.
Is there a deadline to file?
There is no settlement deadline because there is no settlement. An individual lawsuit is subject to your state's statute of limitations, which usually runs from diagnosis or discovery of the link.
What should I do if I took Risperdal and have a related diagnosis?
Keep your pharmacy and medical records, write down when you were diagnosed, and talk to a licensed attorney in your state if you want to explore a claim. You do not need to register anywhere to protect your rights.
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.
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