Spinal Cord Stimulator Lawsuit: Three Separate MDLs, No Settlement
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The spinal cord stimulator lawsuit is not one case. It is three federal multidistrict litigations, one per manufacturer. On October 2, 2026 the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation created MDLs for Abbott and Nevro implants, joining the Boston Scientific MDL formed in June. These are individual injury lawsuits, not a class action. There is no spinal cord settlement, no fund and no claim form.
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Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
What the Lawsuits Allege
A spinal cord stimulator (SCS) is a surgically implanted device that sends electrical pulses to the spine to treat chronic pain. According to the JPML orders, plaintiffs allege the FDA approved each manufacturer’s original device based on published literature about other companies’ systems, not on the manufacturer’s own clinical trials — and that later models were added through PMA supplements with significant modifications, avoiding the clinical evaluation a new device would need. The Nevro complaints allege nearly 250 new devices came in that way.
Plaintiffs allege injuries including unsatisfactory pain relief, shocking, burning, lead migration, autonomic dysfunction and neurological injuries. Most also allege that company sales representatives programmed or adjusted implanted devices — which the suits describe as the unauthorized practice of medicine. Some cases also name the FDA. These are allegations; the manufacturers opposed centralization and no court has found them liable.
Case Details
Boston Scientific: In re Boston Scientific Corporation Spinal Cord Stimulator Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3181, No. 2:26-ml-03181-JLS-E, Central District of California, Judge Josephine L. Staton (transfer order, June 5, 2026). The first listed case is Grainger v. Boston Scientific Corp., No. 2:25-06515.
Abbott: In re Abbott Laboratories Spinal Cord Stimulator Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3194, Northern District of Illinois, Judge Lindsay C. Jenkins (transfer order, October 2, 2026). Abbott is headquartered there.
Nevro (now Nevro LLC, with Globus Medical as co-defendant): In re Nevro Corporation Spinal Cord Stimulator Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3195, Northern District of California, Judge Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr. (transfer order, October 2, 2026).
Medtronic: no MDL. Its cases proceed one by one; a July 2026 ruling in Minnesota dismissed most claims of four patients, according to a law-firm summary.
Status: Three MDLs, No Settlement
An MDL is a case-management tool. It groups individual lawsuits for discovery and motions; each plaintiff still has to prove the device caused their own injury. In June the panel refused an industry-wide MDL because each company’s devices have their own regulatory history. A law firm tracking the cases wrote in October 2026 that the litigation is likely “years away” from being ripe for settlement.
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Who Can Bring a Claim
This is not a class action. Nobody is included automatically, and there is nothing to sign up for. Each person files their own product-liability lawsuit, usually through an attorney; federal cases against Boston Scientific, Abbott or Nevro are then transferred into that company’s MDL.
Having an implant is not enough. The filed cases involve people who allege a specific injury — for example shocks, burns, lead migration, neurological damage or revision and removal surgery. Time limits matter: in the Medtronic case in Minnesota, the court reportedly dismissed all claims of three plaintiffs for filing too late. Statutes of limitations vary by state, so the date your injury surfaced is worth writing down. Keep records of the device model, implant and removal dates, and any revision surgery. For general background on how injury claims move, see our guide to the personal injury claim process.
What These Cases Could Pay
In personal-injury MDLs, money, if it ever comes, usually comes through a negotiated settlement program where individual amounts depend on documented injury: revision or removal surgery, lasting nerve damage, medical costs and lost income. A device that was explanted and documented carries more weight than a device that simply did not relieve pain. For a rough sense of how injury claims are valued, see our medical device lawsuit calculator.
Spinal Cord Stimulator Lawsuit Timeline
- 1
February 20, 2026 — MDL Motion Filed
Plaintiffs ask the JPML to centralize cases against Abbott and Boston Scientific. Others push to add Nevro and create one industry-wide MDL.
- 2
June 5, 2026 — Boston Scientific MDL 3181
The panel rejects an industry-wide MDL but centralizes the Boston Scientific cases in the Central District of California before Judge Josephine L. Staton. The Abbott request is denied at that stage.
- 3
July 2026 — Medtronic Ruling in Minnesota
Per a law-firm summary, a federal judge dismisses most claims of four Medtronic plaintiffs, three of them as untimely. Medtronic has no MDL.
- 4
September 24, 2026 — Abbott and Nevro Hearing
The JPML hears arguments on separate MDLs for Abbott (MDL 3194) and Nevro (MDL 3195). Both companies oppose centralization.
- 5
October 2, 2026 — Abbott and Nevro MDLs Created
Abbott cases go to Judge Lindsay C. Jenkins in the Northern District of Illinois; Nevro cases to Judge Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr. in the Northern District of California.
- 6
As of October 2026 — Pretrial, No Settlement
All three MDLs are in early pretrial proceedings. No settlement, fund, claim form or deadline exists.
Three Things to Watch For
Fresh MDL headlines and a large pool of implant patients attract imposters:
“Claim your spinal cord stimulator settlement”
There is no settlement and no claims portal for Abbott, Nevro, Boston Scientific or Medtronic devices. A page asking for your Social Security number or bank details to “release your payment” is collecting data, not filing anything.
Calls claiming to be from the court or the MDL
Judges and the JPML do not phone patients to recruit them, and an MDL has no registration fee. A caller who knows you have an implant may simply have bought a lead list.
“Qualify now” forms that ask for your records
Many “see if you qualify” forms are lead-generation funnels that resell your medical details to firms. If you want legal advice, contact a law firm directly, check its state bar listing, and read any retainer before signing.
Spinal Cord Stimulator Lawsuit — Questions People Ask
Is there a spinal cord stimulator class action settlement?
No. Whether it is called a spinal cord stimulator lawsuit or simply a spinal cord lawsuit, as of October 2026 there is no settlement with any manufacturer and no claim form. The cases are individual product-liability lawsuits grouped into three MDLs, not a class action.
Which companies are being sued?
Boston Scientific (MDL 3181), Abbott (MDL 3194) and Nevro, now with Globus Medical as co-defendant (MDL 3195). Medtronic is also sued, but its cases are not in an MDL. Some lawsuits also name the FDA.
What happened on October 2, 2026?
The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation created separate MDLs for Abbott and Nevro. Fifteen Abbott actions in six districts went to the Northern District of Illinois; seventeen Nevro actions in six districts went to the Northern District of California.
I have a stimulator. Am I part of the lawsuit?
Not automatically. Nobody joins an MDL by registering. You are only part of it if you file your own lawsuit, which is then transferred in. The filed cases involve alleged injuries such as shocks, burns, lead migration or nerve damage — not just having the device.
How do I find out which device I have?
Your implant card, the surgeon’s operative report and your hospital records list the manufacturer and model. Request copies now; they are what any lawyer will ask for first.
Is there a deadline?
There is no settlement deadline. But each state sets a statute of limitations for injury claims, and late filing can end a case: in a Minnesota Medtronic case, all claims of three plaintiffs were reportedly dismissed as filed too late.
How long until money is paid, if ever?
Nobody can say. The Abbott and Nevro MDLs are only days old as of early October 2026, and the Boston Scientific MDL started in June 2026. Medical-device MDLs typically run years before any settlement program, and some end with no payment at all.
Should I have my stimulator removed because of the lawsuits?
That is a medical decision for you and your doctor, not a legal one. If a device is removed for any reason, ask the hospital how the explanted device is handled and keep the records, since it can matter as evidence.
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.