U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo issued the order on May 13, 2026, granting Sanofi’s motion to enforce settlement agreements. The ruling resolves a dispute in which Sanofi alleged that plaintiffs signed settlement agreements and received funding through counsel but did not file the required dismissals.
Sanofi filed the motion to enforce on Dec. 19, 2025, seeking dismissal of the claims against the company identified in an attached exhibit. The company’s declaration stated that it funded the settlements "in exchange for agreement to dismiss all claims against Sanofi and other terms," with counsel obligated to satisfy obligations to the Common Benefit Fund before releasing funds to plaintiffs.
The court applied the principle that a settlement agreement must be enforced when evidence shows the parties agreed on essential terms and manifested an intent to be bound. The judge noted that only "fraud or other compelling circumstances" demonstrated by clear and convincing evidence could prevent enforcement.
Because the plaintiffs did not file an opposition to Sanofi’s motion, the court accepted Sanofi’s assertions as fact. The judge ordered the dismissal of the claims for the following plaintiffs: Peggy Williams, Rita Devine, Marquese Ford, Eleanor L. Littleton, Shelly Jones, Mary Allyn Dexter, Gwendolyn Hartford, Tykesha Williams-Saunders, Patricia Bramblett, Jeannette Vargas, and Joan E. Karpinski.
For plaintiffs who had already filed notices dismissing their claims after Sanofi filed its motion, the court denied the request for enforcement as moot.
Sanofi also sought attorney’s fees and costs, arguing that the plaintiffs’ refusal to dismiss was "unsupportable" and "without justification." However, the court denied the fee request, citing the "American Rule" that each litigant pays their own fees unless a statute or contract provides otherwise.
The judge emphasized that while federal courts have inherent power to assess fees for bad faith, vexatious, or oppressive conduct, the threshold is high. The court found that Sanofi failed to show that the plaintiffs engaged in such conduct, noting that a finding of bad faith requires clear and convincing proof that "the very temple of justice has been defiled."
The multidistrict litigation involves thousands of cases against pharmaceutical companies, including Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC and Sanofi US Services Inc., regarding the chemotherapy drug Taxotere, also known as docetaxel. Plaintiffs allege the drug caused permanent chemotherapy-induced alopecia and assert claims including failure to warn and negligence.
This order follows a previous motion to enforce filed by Sanofi on Sept. 3, 2025, which was denied as moot after counsel notified the court that the motion had been resolved.