Boston Scientific spinal cord stimulator lawsuit graphic showing a spine X-ray with an implanted stimulator on a light box, a map of the United States, a gavel and scales of justice

Boston Scientific Spinal Cord Stimulator Lawsuit November 2026 Status: MDL 3181 is pending before Judge Josephine L. Staton in the Central District of California with 62 cases as of November 2, 2026. The master complaint was filed October 23, Boston Scientific’s motion to dismiss is due November 20, and the next status conference is December 4. Direct filing is open to patients in every state. No case has been tried or settled. Call (205) 407-6009 for a free case review.

Boston Scientific faces the largest and most advanced group of spinal cord stimulator lawsuits. The cases are centralized in MDL 3181 before Judge Josephine L. Staton in the Central District of California, created June 5, 2026. There were 62 cases pending on November 2, 2026, up from 41 a month earlier. The plaintiffs filed their master complaint on October 23, 2026, and Boston Scientific’s motion to dismiss it is due November 20, 2026. No case has been tried or settled.

This page tracks the Boston Scientific litigation: the latest court dates, the devices named, what the lawsuits allege, how the recall fits in, who may qualify and how long you have. Fob & Foster Personal Injury Lawyers review Boston Scientific stimulator claims for patients in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina. The call is free: (205) 407-6009. For the other manufacturers, see our main spinal cord stimulator lawsuit guide.

Filing Deadline Warning: Filing directly in the Boston Scientific MDL stops the clock only on the day you file, and it cannot revive a claim that has already expired. Your state sets the deadline: one year in Tennessee, two years in Alabama and Georgia, three years in North Carolina, often counted from the first sign of trouble and not from the removal surgery. Call (205) 407-6009 or toll-free (866) 837-1010 to have your dates checked.

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Boston Scientific Spinal Cord Stimulator Lawsuit Updates

Latest Update, November 10, 2026: Boston Scientific’s motion to dismiss the plaintiffs’ master complaint is due November 20, 2026, and the same deadline applies to the separate complaint against the FDA. The Judicial Panel’s November 2 report lists 62 cases pending in MDL 3181, up from 41 a month earlier. The next status conference is December 4, 2026. No case has been tried or settled.

Earlier updates are listed newest first. Select one to read it.

October 23, 2026: Master Complaint Filed

The plaintiffs filed a consolidated personal injury complaint, which is reported to name nine Boston Scientific systems approved under PMA P030017, and a separate consolidated complaint against the FDA under the Administrative Procedure Act.

October 20, 2026: Pretrial Order No. 6 Sets the Schedule

Judge Staton divided the litigation into a Personal Injury Track and an APA Track, set November 20, 2026 as the deadline for motions to dismiss both consolidated complaints, and allowed Boston Scientific to seek dismissal of four cases on statute of limitations grounds.

September 23, 2026: Separate Track for Claims Against the FDA

Pretrial Order No. 5 placed the claims against the FDA on their own track with one consolidated complaint. Oppositions to the motion to dismiss it are due December 18, 2026, replies January 15, 2027, and the hearing will be no earlier than February 5, 2027.

September 3, 2026: FDA Announces Class I Recall of Infinion CX Leads

The FDA published its notice of Boston Scientific’s recall of unused Infinion CX lead kits, models SC-2317-50 and SC-2317-70, and classified it as Class I. The company had reported 1,081 serious injuries and no deaths as of May 27, 2026. The recall does not call for removing leads that are already implanted. See our post on the Infinion CX recall.

August 18, 2026: Direct Filing Allowed

Pretrial Order No. 4 lets a patient in any state file a Boston Scientific case directly in the Central District of California. A directly filed complaint stops the limitations clock on its filing date but cannot revive a claim that had already expired.

August 13, 2026: Plaintiffs’ Leadership Appointed

Pretrial Order No. 2 appointed co-lead counsel, liaison counsel and committees to run the litigation for the plaintiffs.

June 5, 2026: MDL 3181 Created

The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation centralized 23 Boston Scientific cases from nine districts before Judge Josephine L. Staton in the Central District of California. It declined to create one proceeding covering every stimulator manufacturer.

February 20, 2026: Plaintiffs Ask for an MDL

Plaintiffs petitioned the Panel to centralize spinal cord stimulator lawsuits in a single multidistrict litigation.

Which Boston Scientific Stimulators Are Involved

The master complaint is reported to name nine Boston Scientific systems, all of which trace to a single FDA premarket approval, PMA P030017, first granted in 2004:

  • Precision and Precision Plus
  • Precision Spectra
  • Precision Montage and Precision Montage MRI
  • Precision Novi
  • Precision Spectra WaveWriter
  • WaveWriter Alpha and WaveWriter Alpha Prime

Your implant card, the Boston Scientific remote or charger, or the operative report from your surgery will tell you which system and which leads you have.

What the Boston Scientific Lawsuits Allege

The Panel’s order creating the MDL summarizes the common allegations. Plaintiffs say Boston Scientific obtained its original approval by relying on published studies of other companies’ stimulators instead of clinical trials of its own device; that it then abused the supplement process, using it to introduce one modified system after another without new clinical testing; that it failed to warn of, and concealed, known risks; and that its sales representatives practiced medicine without a license by programming devices and directing care. The injuries pleaded are unsatisfactory pain relief, shocking, burning, lead migration, autonomic dysfunction and neurological injuries. Boston Scientific denies the allegations.

The Panel chose the Central District of California because fourteen cases were already there, ten of them coordinated before Judge Staton, and because Boston Scientific’s neuromodulation business is based in the district.

The Infinion CX Recall and the WaveWriter Alpha Advisory

On September 3, 2026 the FDA announced a Class I recall of Boston Scientific’s Infinion CX lead kits, models SC-2317-50 and SC-2317-70. Mechanical stress on the lead at the anchor site can cause high impedance or a fractured lead, and the company had reported 1,081 serious injuries and no deaths as of May 27, 2026. The recall removes unused leads and does not affect leads already implanted. Our post on the Infinion CX recall covers it in detail. Separately, in 2024 Boston Scientific sent doctors an advisory about the WaveWriter Alpha concerning interruptions of therapy during charging.

How MDL 3181 Works: Direct Filing and the FDA Track

Two features of the Boston Scientific MDL matter to a patient deciding what to do. The dated orders are in the update timeline above.

Direct filing

Under Pretrial Order No. 4 a patient in any state can file a Boston Scientific case directly in the MDL. Boston Scientific agreed not to contest venue for pretrial purposes, each complaint names the home district the case would return to for trial, and a directly filed complaint stops the statute of limitations on the day it is filed. Direct filing cannot rescue a claim that had already expired.

The FDA track

Some plaintiffs also sued the FDA under the Administrative Procedure Act, challenging the agency’s approvals of the supplements. Judge Staton placed those claims on a separate track with one consolidated complaint. Motions to dismiss it are due November 20, oppositions December 18, replies January 15, 2027, and the hearing will be no earlier than February 5, 2027. In the Medtronic cases in Minnesota, a judge ruled in July 2026 that plaintiffs lacked standing to bring similar claims against the FDA.

The Ruling to Watch

Boston Scientific’s motion to dismiss will argue that federal law preempts the plaintiffs’ state-law claims because the devices went through FDA premarket approval. The plaintiffs will argue that the company violated the FDA’s own requirements and that claims based on those violations are not preempted. Judge Staton’s decision, which is unlikely before 2027, will be the first preemption ruling by any of the three stimulator MDL judges and will affect every Boston Scientific case. The same order allows Boston Scientific to challenge four cases as filed too late, so deadlines will be tested early as well.

Who May Qualify for a Boston Scientific Claim

  • A permanent Boston Scientific Precision or WaveWriter system was implanted in you.
  • You experienced shocks or burning, a lead that migrated or fractured, loss of therapy, a serious infection, or new nerve, bowel or bladder problems.
  • The problem led to revision, replacement or removal surgery, hospital care or repeated reprogramming, or you were told to turn the device off.
  • Your state’s deadline is still open: one year in Tennessee, two in Alabama and Georgia, three in North Carolina.

How Long Do You Have to File a Boston Scientific Claim?

The court handling Boston Scientific cases does not set your deadline. Your state does, and the four states we serve differ sharply:

StateDeadline to sue for injuryOuter limitState guide
Tennessee1 year6 years from injury or 10 years from first purchaseTennessee guide
Alabama2 years20-year common-law rule of reposeAlabama guide
Georgia2 years10 years from first sale for strict liability claimsGeorgia guide
North Carolina3 years12 years from initial purchaseNorth Carolina guide

Because the Boston Scientific MDL allows direct filing, a complaint filed in the Central District of California stops the clock on the day it is filed. It does not rescue a claim that was already late, and the court’s October 20 order lets Boston Scientific challenge four cases as untimely, so deadlines are being tested in this MDL now.

What to Do If Your Boston Scientific Stimulator Has Caused Problems

Your Health Comes First: Do not turn off, stop charging or seek removal of your stimulator because of a lawsuit or a recall notice. Those are medical decisions to make with your doctor. If you have sudden weakness or numbness, loss of bowel or bladder control, fever, or signs of infection at the implant site, get medical care right away.

  1. Tell your doctor. Report each symptom and ask that it go in the chart. Turning the device off, changing its settings or scheduling a removal are medical decisions, not steps to take for a lawsuit.
  2. Confirm what you have. Your implant card, the Boston Scientific remote control and charger, and the operative report identify the generator and the leads, including whether the leads are Infinion CX.
  3. Write down the dates: the implant, the first problem, each reprogramming visit, any instruction to turn the device off, and every revision or removal.
  4. Keep the hardware. If the device is coming out, tell the surgeon and the hospital in writing beforehand that you want the generator and leads preserved and not sent back to the manufacturer.
  5. Save what the company representative told you: texts, emails and voicemails.
  6. Have the dates checked. The deadline may already be running.

How Fob & Foster Handle Boston Scientific Stimulator Claims

The review is free and starts with a phone call about your device, the dates and the treatment you have needed. We tell you whether the claim appears to be within your state’s deadline and whether it is the kind of injury these cases involve. If we take the case, we gather the implant and operative records, confirm the model and file it in MDL 3181, usually by direct filing. We work on a contingency fee: no fee unless we recover money for you, and we explain the fee agreement in writing before you sign anything. Call (205) 407-6009 or send us a message.

Boston Scientific Spinal Cord Stimulator Lawsuit FAQs

Is there a Boston Scientific spinal cord stimulator class action?

No. The cases are individual lawsuits coordinated in MDL 3181 in the Central District of California. There were 62 pending as of November 2, 2026.

Has Boston Scientific settled any spinal cord stimulator cases?

No. There has been no settlement or verdict, and no trial dates or bellwether schedule have been set. A $20 million award sometimes cited online was a patent dispute between Boston Scientific and Nevro, not an injury case.

Do I need Infinion CX leads to file a claim?

No. The lawsuits were filed before the Infinion CX recall and cover Boston Scientific’s stimulator systems generally. A fractured Infinion CX lead that required surgery is one kind of claim among many.

Can I file directly in the Boston Scientific MDL?

Yes. Since August 18, 2026 a Boston Scientific case can be filed directly in the Central District of California from any state, and the filing date stops the limitations clock.

Which Boston Scientific stimulators are part of the lawsuit?

The master complaint is reported to name nine systems approved under PMA P030017: Precision, Precision Plus, Precision Spectra, Precision Montage, Precision Montage MRI, Precision Novi, Precision Spectra WaveWriter, WaveWriter Alpha and WaveWriter Alpha Prime.

How long do I have to file a Boston Scientific stimulator claim?

Your state’s law sets the deadline: one year in Tennessee, two years in Alabama and Georgia, and three years in North Carolina. The time often starts when the device first gives you reason to suspect it, not when it is removed.

Do I have to have my Boston Scientific stimulator removed to file?

No. Claims also involve revision or replacement surgery, hospital care, repeated reprogramming and devices a doctor has said to turn off. Whether to remove a stimulator is a medical decision, not a legal one.

How much does it cost to have a Boston Scientific claim reviewed?

Nothing. The review is free, and Fob & Foster Personal Injury Lawyers handle these claims on a contingency fee: no fee unless we recover money for you.

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