A lawsuit 21 July claims that ChatGPT offered inaccurate medical guidance to a Florida man that resulted in delayed care for a pulmonary embolism last year.
The lawsuit, filed in the Superior Court of California in San Francisco, accuses OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman of negligence, unlicensed practice of medicine, defective product design and other claims. It is among the first to allege that a chatbot’s health advice caused physical injury to a user seeking guidance about a medical condition, according to The New York Times, and the plaintiff has asked the court to stop ChatGPT Health from operating until independent evaluators verify its safety.
According to the complaint, ChatGPT-4o told Scott Winters, a pastor, that early signs of his health problems were “not something dangerous” and discouraged him from seeking medical care, urging him instead to trust that “God did not design your body to endlessly fail.” Mr. Winters, 55, claims ChatGPT manipulated his own language and beliefs with the knowledge that he was a pastor.
He began using ChatGPT in 2024 for everyday questions and general health queries. Over time, the lawsuit claims, the chatbot’s disclaimers urging him to seek professional care fell away, and it began offering direct guidance instead — including, when he described dizziness and blood pressure instability in June 2025, advice to stay home and “recliner-bound.” Mr. Winters followed the guidance and limited his movement.
“ChatGPT-4o positioned itself as an authoritative partner in a medical journey it was simultaneously designing for Scott,” alleges the complaint, which includes screenshots of Mr. Winters’ exchanges with the chatbot.
Source: Becker's Hospital Review, 22 July 2026
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