Incident 1609: ChatGPT-4o Allegedly Discouraged Florida Pastor From Seeking Care Before Pulmonary Embolism

Description: Florida pastor Scott Winters was allegedly told by ChatGPT-4o that his worsening dizziness and pain had less serious causes, while the chatbot recommended home management and immobility and discouraged him from seeking hospital treatment. Winters was reportedly hospitalized on July 13, 2025, with a massive bilateral pulmonary embolism. The suit alleges that delayed treatment and prolonged inactivity contributed to his life-threatening condition and lasting harms.
Editor Notes: Timeline notes: The incident ID date is 07/13/2025, based on the date Scott Winters was reportedly hospitalized with a massive pulmonary embolism after preceding weeks throughout June 2025 of allegedly relying on ChatGPT-4o for medical guidance. The complaint is dated 07/21/2026. The incident ID was created on 07/30/2026. See a copy of the complaint here: https://techjusticelaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Winters-Complaint.pdf.

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Incident Stats

Incident ID
1609
Report Count
3
Incident Date
2025-07-13
Editors
Daniel Atherton

Incident Reports

Reports Timeline

Incident Occurrence+2
ChatGPT Led to a Man’s Near-Fatal Health Crisis, Lawsuit Claims
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ChatGPT Led to a Man’s Near-Fatal Health Crisis, Lawsuit Claims
nytimes.com · 2026

A Florida pastor sued OpenAI on Wednesday, claiming that its chatbot, ChatGPT, had offered him "extremely dangerous medical recommendations" that led to delayed care for a life-threatening pulmonary embolism last year.

The lawsuit claims th…

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ChatGPT's advice kept man from seeking medical treatment for dangerous condition, lawsuit claims
reuters.com · 2026

July 22 (Reuters) - A Florida pastor sued OpenAI and ​its chief executive, Sam Altman, on Wednesday claiming ChatGPT's inaccurate medical advice kept him from seeking treatment for recurrent dizzy spells, ‌leading him to suffer a pulmonary …

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Pastor Seeks Accountability After ChatGPT Allegedly Discouraged Him From Seeking Medical Care During Life-Threatening Blood Clots
techjusticelaw.org · 2026

Lawsuit claims ChatGPT used Scott Winters' faith and trust against him, coaching him away from the hospital as he developed a bilateral pulmonary embolism.

(San Francisco, CA) --- Tech Justice Law, the Social Media Victims Law Center and th…

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