Florida Pastor Sues OpenAI, Claims ChatGPT’s Medical Advice Nearly Killed Him
A Florida pastor has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, alleging that medical advice from ChatGPT repeatedly discouraged him from seeking emergency care before he suffered a life-threatening pulmonary embolism that left him “at the brink of death.” Scott Winters, 55, claims the AI chatbot acted as an “unlicensed physician” by diagnosing his symptoms, recommending treatments, and using his Christian faith to reassure him that medical intervention was unnecessary . In one exchange cited in the lawsuit, ChatGPT allegedly told him: “God did not design your body to endlessly fail. God is still holding your body together, every heartbeat, every breath, even when it feels like you are on the brink.”
Winters, who had been experiencing recurring dizzy spells and blood pressure instability, says ChatGPT advised him to remain confined to a recliner, downplayed his symptoms, and told him not to go to the hospital even as friends and family urged him to seek care . The lawsuit claims the bot even dismissed concerns from his wife, a registered nurse, characterizing her advice as “pressure that may not be safe for your unique situation” . In July 2025, Winters suffered a massive pulmonary embolism caused by blood clots in both lungs—a condition doctors later linked to his prolonged immobility . He is seeking financial damages and asking the court to require OpenAI to implement stronger safety safeguards, including automatically terminating conversations when users need immediate medical care . OpenAI responded that “ChatGPT is not a doctor and should never be used as a substitute for medical care, diagnosis or treatment”.
