Pasadena Woman Drops Suit vs. Merck Over Gardasil HPV Vaccine

A Pasadena woman has dropped her long-running lawsuit prepared with the help of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. against Merck & Co. in which she alleged that Gardasil, the company’s human papillomavirus vaccine, left her confined as a teen to a wheelchair.

Attorneys for plaintiff Jennifer Robi filed court papers on Friday with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elaine Lu asking that Robi’s case be dismissed “with prejudice,” meaning it cannot be refiled. The court papers do not state if a settlement was reached or if Robi is not pursuing the case for other reasons.

Merck denied Robi’s contentions that the company’s warnings to the plaintiff’s physicians about the Gardasil vaccine were inadequate and  that any of Robi’s medical conditions were caused by the Gardasil. Merck said in February that it had entered into a tentative accord to resolve the case before trial.

The Gardasil vaccine protects against certain types of HPV, a common sexually transmitted infection. In addition to her wheelchair confinement, Robi contended in her suit filed in July 2016 that she was left with a weakened heart.

Kennedy, now the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, was a key member Robi’s legal team. Kennedy ended his role in the lawsuit in early 2025.