DR. GPT

Pastor Sues ChatGPT After Medical Advice Nearly Killed Him

The lawsuit claims the chatbot discouraged him from seeking medical care before he was hospitalized with a pulmonary embolism.

A Florida man has sued ChatGPT, claiming the AI bot gave him dangerous medical advice that discouraged him from seeking treatment for weeks, almost killing him. Former pastor Scott Winters, 55, filed the lawsuit alongside tech nonprofit Tech Justice Law, accusing OpenAI, CEO Sam Altman, and ChatGPT of negligence and the unauthorized practice of medicine. The complaint alleges the chatbot repeatedly dismissed his worsening symptoms instead of urging him to seek medical care. According to the lawsuit, Winters turned to ChatGPT in 2024 after experiencing persistent dizziness. The chatbot allegedly encouraged him to rest in a recliner, telling him his “careful recliner-based micro-recovery” was helping and urging him to ignore concerns from friends and family who wanted him to go to the hospital. It also reportedly mixed its medical responses with spiritual guidance, telling Winters that “God did not design your body to endlessly fail.” The suit says Winters later reported groin pain to the chatbot on July 13, 2025, but it allegedly dismissed the symptom as another minor issue. Shortly afterward, he was admitted to the intensive care unit with a life-threatening pulmonary embolism. Doctors allegedly told him weeks of prolonged sitting likely contributed to the blood clots and that his earlier headaches were likely small embolisms. OpenAI denied responsibility, telling People that “ChatGPT is not a doctor and should never be used as a substitute for medical care, diagnosis, or treatment.” Winters says he lost his ministry, career, and home and is seeking damages and stronger safety protections for AI medical advice.