Florida Takes Pfizer And CEO To Court Over Alleged COVID-19 Vaccine Deceptions
The State of Florida filed a civil lawsuit Thursday against pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer Inc. and its chairman and chief executive officer, Albert Bourla, accusing the company of misleading the public about the safety, effectiveness, and transmission risks of its COVID-19 vaccine.
The complaint, filed October 1, 2026, in the Circuit Court of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit in St. Lucie County by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, alleges violations of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. The state is seeking permanent injunctions, disgorgement of profits, and civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation, as well as enhanced penalties of $15,000 for violations involving seniors or individuals with disabilities.
According to the 49-page filing, Pfizer engaged in a multi-billion-dollar marketing blitz between 2020 and 2023 that misrepresented safety data and pushed mass vaccination under claims that the shots prevented transmission of the virus.
The lawsuit highlights public statements made by Bourla throughout the pandemic, including a televised interview in which he stated the company had seen “not a single [safety] signal” despite distributing billions of doses. The state contrasts those statements with emerging clinical data, alleging Pfizer was aware of early reports linking the vaccine to heart conditions such as myocarditis and pericarditis, particularly among young men, as well as adverse pregnancy outcomes and risks among the elderly.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier
The state also targets statements that urged vaccination to protect friends and relatives, pointing to interviews where Bourla said, “this choice not to vaccinate will not affect only your health or your life. Unfortunately, it will affect the lives of others and likely the lives of the people you love the most.” The complaint argues Pfizer made these assertions even though its initial clinical trials did not evaluate whether the vaccine stopped viral transmission—a fact the state says Pfizer representatives later conceded in public testimony.
Additionally, the lawsuit accuses Bourla of seeking to silence dissent, citing an interview in November 2021 where he remarked, “Those people are criminals,” when discussing individuals spreading what he characterized as vaccine misinformation. Florida’s complaint contends these remarks unlawfully discouraged consumers from evaluating legitimate safety discussions.
The state’s lawsuit also alleges pandemic profiteering. According to court records, Pfizer generated more than $80 billion in COVID-19 vaccine revenue and later raised the price of its commercial vaccine from approximately $30 per dose to over $110 to $130 per dose. The state notes that Bourla earned nearly $102 million in overall compensation from 2020 through 2023.
Court documents indicate more than 6.7 million Pfizer vaccine doses were distributed across Florida by September 2026. The lawsuit asks the circuit court to declare Pfizer’s marketing practices unlawful, enjoin the company from further deceptive claims, and order financial restitution and penalties under Florida law.