About the new and improved Hot Tort Report
Being industry experts, we pride ourselves on keeping our finger on the pulse of all things Multi District Litigation. This predominantly consists of providing our subscribers with competitive insights into where the money is being spent in hopes of informing your blueprint for advertising strategies. These cases can be highly lucrative, but are difficult to acquire, requiring significant investment and patience to secure high-value cases.
We’ve been working hard on an algorithm to deliver more than just monthly TV spends and are proud to announce that we are ready to unveil our HTR 2.0.
This new list offers an overview of dollars spent across TV, Meta, PPC, and more, assigning a score to each tort based on what we, as leaders in the law firm advertising space, are witnessing across these various platforms.
The Hot Tort Report:
August 2026
The Hottest in Mass Tort Spending: July 2026
Talcum Powder
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Published: August, 2026. Advertising spend from multiple sources for a recent 30-day period.
If you have any questions, please contact us at national@whitehardt.com
#1 Talcum Powder
Talcum Powder held the #1 spot for another month, even after its WHii score dipped by 0.4 points. Perfect scores in TV and Meta gave it enough momentum to maintain a clear lead over the rest of the field.
That strength comes amid new uncertainty in the federal litigation. Nearly 70,000 lawsuits could face dismissal after the judge ordered plaintiffs on July 22nd to explain why their cases should move forward. This follows questions about expert testimony in six bellwether cases. Plaintiffs have until November 19 to respond, making this a serious procedural setback, but not yet the end of the litigation.
CPA: $940
CPL: $470
For common criteria, please contact us.
#2 Birth Control Injections
Birth Control Injections held firmly at #2, with a modest rise in TV helping offset a slight decline in WHii. Perfect Meta and PPC scores also kept the tort competitive across digital channels.
A new 25-year Danish study released in early July added to the evidence behind Depo-Provera claims. Researchers found that use of the injection was associated with about 4.5 times the risk of meningioma, which is the strongest association among the progesterone products studied. The findings arrived shortly after the announcement of last month’s global settlement agreement involving claims from approximately 5,500 women, although the final terms have not been released.
CPA: $5,169
CPL: $3,050
For common criteria, please contact us.
#3 Diabetes Meds for Weight Loss
Diabetes Meds for Weight Loss remained at #3 as a stronger WHii score offset slight declines in TV and PPC. Meta activity also remained at full strength.
The litigation is expanding beyond gastrointestinal injuries. A Georgia woman recently joined more than 130 plaintiffs who allege GLP-1 drugs caused NAION, a sudden and irreversible form of vision loss. Novo Nordisk, which manufactures Ozempic® and Wegovy®, and Eli Lilly, which manufactures Mounjaro® and Zepbound®, maintain that the available evidence does not establish causation, while the FDA continues studying the potential safety signal.
The manufacturers are also battling over the drugs’ own advertising. Novo Nordisk sued Eli Lilly over ads comparing Zepbound® and Mounjaro® with Wegovy® and Ozempic®, alleging that the campaigns rely on outdated studies and omit newer dosing data.
CPA: $91 – $1,056
CPL: $68 – $792
Common Criteria: Took a prescription diabetes drug for weight loss (e.g. Ozempic®, Mounjaro®), discontinued use of the drug, and experienced one or more gastrointestinal disorders at least 30 days after your first dose.
#4 Social Media Addiction
Social Media Addiction moved up from #5 to #4 despite a decline in WHii. Its other scores remained unchanged, with strong Meta and PPC activity helping it gain ground as the field shifted around it.
One closely watched case ended in July days before trial when a Florida teenager withdrew his claims against Meta after previously settling with YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat. Meta said the withdrawal included no payment. However, the broader litigation is far from over: Meta and YouTube are appealing a $6 million verdict from March, hundreds of similar cases remain pending in Los Angeles, and the next trial is scheduled for October of this year.
For metrics such as CPA, CPL, or common criteria, please contact us.
#5 Hernia Mesh
Hernia Mesh delivered one of the month’s strongest gains, jumping nearly 2 points to land at #5. Every measure except PPC increased, with stronger TV, Meta, and WHii scores driving the climb.
The surge comes as the first Medtronic hernia mesh case reaches a jury. The plaintiff alleges that the protective coating on his Symbotex mesh broke down too quickly, causing bowel obstructions and additional surgeries. Medtronic maintains that its products are safe and effective. Although the verdict will not decide the other claims, the bellwether trial could shape settlement discussions across more than 10,000 pending cases.
Common Criteria: Hernia mesh surgery from 2000—present; suffered from one of the following: Perforation, Bowel Obstruction, Mesh Erosion, Mesh Contraction, Torn Mesh, Sepsis/Infection, Granuloma, Adhesion, Dehiscence that resulted in a removal/repair, scheduled or future.
For metrics such as CPA and CPL, please contact us.
#6 Rideshare Assault
Rideshare Assault jumped from #8 to #6 even though WHii was the only score to change—and it rose by just 0.2 points. With its Meta and PPC scores already maxed out, that small boost was enough to carry the tort past two competitors.
Legal pressure on Uber widened in July when three public pension funds that hold Uber stock filed a shareholder lawsuit against the company’s executives and board members. Brought on Uber’s behalf, the lawsuit alleges that company leaders harmed Uber by concealing the scale of sexual misconduct reports and failing to act on known safety risks. The complaint contrasts more than 400,000 internal reports of sexual assault or misconduct from 2017 through 2022 with the 12,522 incidents Uber publicly classified as serious sexual assaults. It also alleges that the company delayed or rejected several proposed safety tools. Uber did not comment on the new filing but has called a similar investor lawsuit “misleading” and “false.”
For metrics such as CPA, CPL, and common criteria, please contact us.
#7 Medical Scope
Medical Scope made the month’s biggest entrance, gaining 2.3 points after debuting outside the top ten in June. Increases in TV and Meta pushed the developing tort all the way to #7.
The rise follows a new lawsuit filed on July 9th alleging that an Olympus colonoscope caused a serious C. diff infection because the reusable device could not be fully disinfected, even when medical providers followed the company’s cleaning instructions. Although this is a developing area of litigation, the allegations build on more than a decade of FDA warnings and enforcement actions involving contamination risks with reusable endoscopes.
For metrics such as CPA, CPL, and common criteria, please contact us.
#8 Roundup®
Roundup® continued to lose ground, falling to #8 as both WHii and PPC declined and TV remained absent. A perfect Meta score and continued public interest kept it in the top ten, but the campaign has yet to show signs of a recovery.
The Supreme Court’s June ruling continues to reshape the pesticide landscape by blocking the failure-to-warn theory behind many Roundup® claims. Bayer is still pursuing a proposed $7.25 billion settlement, but some plaintiffs have objected to the deal. Meanwhile, attorneys are beginning to look beyond Roundup® toward emerging claims involving chlorpyrifos and atrazine. The broader pesticide category may be evolving even as Roundup® itself cools.
CPA: $1,238
CPL: $743
For common criteria, please contact us.
#9 Roblox Child Abuse
Roblox Child Abuse continued to cool, slipping to #9 as both WHii and PPC declined. TV remained absent, but a perfect Meta score and continued public attention kept it inside the top ten.
Unlike Roundup®, however, Roblox is facing a new type of legal pressure. A securities class action with an early August deadline alleges that the company misled investors about how its age-verification rollout would affect growth. Roblox later disclosed that the system had reduced communication, lowered app-store ratings, and contributed to fewer organic sign-ups. After the company sharply reduced its growth forecast, its stock fell more than 18%. The investor case is separate from the child-abuse claims, but both raise questions about how Roblox has handled safety on its platform.
For metrics such as CPA, CPL, and common criteria, please contact us.
#10 Takata Airbag Recall
Takata Airbag Recall held onto the final spot in the top ten despite declines in WHii and PPC and a particularly sharp drop in Meta. A perfect TV score did most of the work, keeping the tort at #10 as its digital activity faded.
That TV strength coincided with the July 8 final filing deadline for the Volkswagen/Audi economic-loss settlement, suggesting a last push to reach eligible vehicle owners. That program is now closed. Separately, the Takata personal-injury Trust revised its compensation value to $131 per point, providing a new update for eligible injury and wrongful death claims.
For metrics such as CPA, CPL, and common criteria, please contact us.
Mesothelioma
You may be noticing a tort missing from our new report. While Mesothelioma continues to dominate the competition when it comes to spend levels, Whitehardt finds that this tort is its own niche animal. These cases can be extremely fruitful, but hard to come by, requiring a high buy-in to get in the game and patience when landing that ringer of a case. We believe that Meso will remain a constant for some time, but in regards to many of the other drugs and devices we focus on in this monthly report, we’ve decided to move it to its own category. If you are interested in hearing the latest news on Meso or how Whitehardt may be currently seeking these cases, you can contact us here.
Whitehardt will continue to track meso spending from month to month, so if you are interested in ongoing meso spending, please reach out to us directly. Going forward, we will be excluding meso from these tort reports.
