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In 1975 a Multi-District Litigation Panel was set up to consolidate over one hundred Dalkon Shield personal injury tort cases pending in federal district courts in over a third of the states. The pretrial proceedings were held before U. S. District Judge Frank Theis in Wichita, Kansas. Bradley Post, a Wichita lawyer who had represented Connie Deemer, the first woman to win a verdict against Robins for her Dalkon Shield injuries, was chosen lead lawyer in the consolidated cases. Post led the court-ordered discovery proceedings that ran from 1976 through the late 1970s and resumed in 1981 and 1982.

During the multi-district litigation proceedings from the late 1970s through the early 1980s, many employees of AHR were deposed, and their depositions made accessible to plaintiffs' lawyers all over the country. When the Trust set up the document depository for the use of claimants, the MDL depositions were included. In addition, depositions not under the aegis of the MDL panel, as well as a great deal of trial testimony of A. H. Robins employees, became part of the document depository. The Trust legal department also had a core collection of depositions, exhibits, etc. for their own attorneys' use in litigation. Materials in this series are principally on microfilm or videotape.

This series of U.S. Food and Drug Administration files is comprised of 5 boxes (2.1 linear feet). During 1974 the FDA held several hearings investigating IUDs and septic abortions, and, specifically, the safety of the Dalkon Shield. In preparation for these investigations the agency asked AHR to present documents concerning production of their IUD. The documents the company provided make up part of this series. (Most, if not all of these documents, are also found in the Source Files.) Also included here are transcripts of various hearings. In 1983 the FDA received a request under the Freedom of Information Act to produce documents relating to AHR and the Dalkon Shield. Copies of those documents are also in this series.

This series is comprised of newspaper clippings in 9 boxes (3.75 linear feet) and videotapes of television shows concerning Dalkon Shield injuries and litigation. The clippings, dated 1974-1985, are arranged alphabetically by state and are preceded by an index.

The Dalkon Shield Claimants Trust opened in early 1988 with the appointment of five trustees, Barbara Blum, Kenneth Feinberg, Gene Locks, Stephen Saltzburg, and Ann Samani. The critical issue of how the Trust would be managed proved as controversial as most other aspects of the bankruptcy settlement. Consequently, within months disputes caused the resignations of Blum, Samani, and Locks. One of the new appointees, Georgene Vairo, eventually became chair of the Trust and remained in that post until it closed.

AHR filed for federal bankruptcy protection on August 21, 1985. The Trust kept on file each pleading that was entered in the case up through August of 2000. This series contains those pleadings. In addition, there is data on some of the lawsuits Robins resolved before bankruptcy. This data was studied by analyst Frances McGovern whose report is also included. Finally, there are transcripts of the estimation hearings.