Florida Sues Pfizer and CEO Albert Bourla, Accusing Them of Deceiving Consumers on COVID Shot

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a lawsuit Thursday against Pfizer and its chief executive, Albert Bourla, accusing the drugmaker of misleading consumers about the safety and effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine. The 49-page complaint was filed in the Circuit Court for St. Lucie County and brings two counts under the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.

The state alleges that Pfizer told consumers the vaccine posed no material safety risks while failing to disclose links to heart inflammation, including myocarditis and pericarditis, and other adverse events. The complaint says the company knew of data connecting the vaccine to myocarditis and pericarditis in minors, and had reason to believe it could cause adverse events, including miscarriage, in pregnant women in the first trimester.

Florida also accuses Pfizer of urging people to get vaccinated to protect others without testing whether the shot actually stopped transmission of the virus. It says the company suppressed criticism and used those practices to build a hugely profitable market. The complaint cites more than $80 billion in vaccine sales and a price increase from about $30 a dose to between $110 and $130 a dose in 2023. It also says Pfizer spent more than $10 billion on advertising between 2020 and 2023.

The state is asking for an injunction, attorney fees and costs, and the recovery of profits. It is also seeking civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation, rising to $15,000 for violations involving seniors or people with disabilities.

Pfizer rejected the allegations. The company said the claims have no merit and that it would respond to the suit in due course. In a separate statement it said its representations about the vaccine "have been accurate and science-based," and that it stands behind the safety and efficacy of the shot.

The lawsuit names Bourla personally, which is unusual in consumer protection cases against large drugmakers and raises the stakes for the company's leadership. Florida's case rests on state consumer law rather than on a claim that the vaccine itself was unlawful, a distinction that lets the state focus on what Pfizer said in its marketing.

The filing comes after an earlier state effort that did not produce charges. A Florida grand jury convened at the request of Gov. Ron DeSantis concluded in January 2025 that it found no evidence that vaccine manufacturers had violated federal or state law. Uthmeier's office is now pursuing a civil route, where the burden of proof is lower than in a criminal case.

Public health agencies have long said the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccines outweighed the risks, while acknowledging that myocarditis is a known, rare side effect, most often seen in younger men after the second dose of mRNA shots. Whether Florida can show that Pfizer's statements were deceptive, rather than simply incomplete or overtaken by later evidence, will be the central question as the case moves forward.