Appeals court revives more than 500 lawsuits linking prenatal Tylenol to autism
Why it matters
Months after the administration flagged acetaminophen in pregnancy as a possible autism risk, families who sued Tylenol’s maker get their day in court back. It is the largest autism-causation litigation in the country.
On July 13, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit revived the consolidated lawsuits against Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol, which claim that acetaminophen use during pregnancy is linked to autism and ADHD. Judge Guido Calabresi wrote the 64-page opinion for the three-judge panel.
The court held that U.S. District Judge Denise Cote exceeded her discretion when she excluded the plaintiffs’ three expert witnesses, Drs. Andrea Baccarelli, Eric Hollander and Brandon Pearson, and sent the cases back to her. The panel did not decide whether acetaminophen causes autism. The court later denied Kenvue’s request for a rehearing.
Kenvue says Tylenol is safe and that credible science shows no proven link, and it plans to challenge the experts again.
Source
AJF reporting.
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