The lawsuits involving Dr. Younan Nowzaradan, the Houston bariatric surgeon known as “Dr. Now” on TLC’s My 600-lb Life, fall into two separate groups. He has personally been named in at least three medical malpractice suits between 2007 and 2017 tied to his surgical practice. Separately, and more numerously, former cast members of the show have sued Megalomedia, the production company behind the series, alleging emotional and financial harm; Dr. Nowzaradan is not a defendant in those cases. The participant lawsuits were dismissed by a Texas appellate court in 2022. The malpractice cases have no publicly recorded final outcomes, and his Texas medical license remains active.
The Malpractice Suits Filed Against Dr. Nowzaradan
Three malpractice claims against Dr. Nowzaradan have surfaced in public records and reporting. They involve different patients, different procedures, and different alleged failures.
The 2007 Wrongful Death Suit Over Tina Shepherd
In March 2007, Colleen Shepherd sued Dr. Nowzaradan and Houston Community Hospital after her daughter Tina Shepherd died from complications of a 2004 gastric bypass. Tina weighed 520 pounds at the time of surgery and later developed liver failure and blood poisoning. The suit alleged the defendants had not adequately warned her of the risks specific to bypass surgery at her size and had failed to recognize her deteriorating condition after the operation.1Houston Chronicle. Gastric Bypass Patient’s Mother Sues Over Death The available record does not show how the case was resolved.
The Shirley Ryans Case and 2011 Appeal
Shirley H. Ryans filed a claim in July 2008 alleging that Dr. Nowzaradan had failed to respond properly to a dislocation of her prosthetic hip after a hip replacement performed by another physician. She later added a gross negligence claim. Dr. Nowzaradan argued the gross negligence allegation required a separate expert report under Chapter 74 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code and moved to dismiss it. The trial court refused, and in May 2011 the Texas Court of Appeals for the Fourteenth District affirmed, holding that negligence and gross negligence are “inextricably intertwined” and do not require separate expert reports.2Findlaw. Younan Nowzaradan, M.D. v. Shirley H. Ryans That ruling addressed only a procedural question. The underlying case’s final outcome is not in the record.
The 2017 Retained Object Suit
In September 2017, a former patient sued Dr. Nowzaradan, Houston Obesity Surgery, and Best Care Clinic Inc. She alleged that during a 2015 laparoscopic procedure to repair a hiatal hernia and remove gastric banding hardware, a 29-centimeter stainless steel connector and tubing were left inside her abdominal cavity. She sought between $200,000 and $1 million.3The Mirror. 600lb Life Star Dr. Younan Nowzaradan Sued for Malpractice Dr. Nowzaradan denied the allegations. Under Texas law, retained surgical objects are classified as “never events” because they are considered largely preventable and a clear violation of the standard of care, which requires that all instruments and materials be counted at the close of surgery.4The Painter Law Firm. Texas Open Courts Doctrine Allows Retained Sponge Medical Malpractice Suits No final outcome appears in the available record.
The Show Participant Lawsuits Are Against the Production Company, Not Dr. Now
The larger cluster of legal claims associated with My 600-lb Life targets Megalomedia, Inc., the Austin-based production company. Dr. Nowzaradan is not a defendant. His son Jonathan Nowzaradan is an executive producer, and the production entities he is connected to are among those named.
Starting in early 2020, at least eight former cast members sued Megalomedia and affiliated companies. The claims included negligence, gross negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, promissory estoppel, and fraud. The common accusation was that producers put ratings ahead of participants’ welfare: failing to provide mental health support, manipulating subjects for dramatic effect, and breaking promises to cover medical costs.5Starcasm. My 600-lb Life Lawsuit Update
The Bonner Wrongful Death Suit
The earliest and highest-profile case came from the family of James “L.B.” Bonner, a Season 6 participant who died by suicide in August 2018 at age 30. The suit alleged Megalomedia manufactured an on-camera image of success while ignoring his off-camera decline. According to the complaint, when Bonner told a production assistant he was “not in a good place right now, it’s dark,” the assistant replied, “Fake it till you make it.”6Looper. Why My 600-lb Life Producers Were Sued by James LB Bonner’s Family The family also said the company paid for only one therapy session and left his medical bills unpaid, with debt collectors pursuing him.7YourTango. Why Did My 600-lb Life Star LB Bonner Kill Himself They sought more than $1 million. Megalomedia called the allegations “without merit” and “false.”
Gina Krasley’s Suit
In February 2020, Season 8 participant Gina Marie Krasley sued Megalomedia, DBA Holdings, and Mansfield Films, seeking more than $1 million. She alleged producers required her to eat “excessive amounts of food” on camera to make her appear unable to follow her diet, that the company failed to provide psychological evaluations or adequate mental health services, and that she was ultimately unable to proceed with bariatric surgery under Dr. Nowzaradan’s care.8E! Online. My 600-lb Life Star Gina Marie Krasley Sued Show Producers for Emotional Distress Prior to Death Megalomedia denied the allegations, said any injuries were the result of Krasley’s “own negligent conduct,” and argued she had waived her right to sue in her talent agreements. Krasley died on August 1, 2021, at age 30 at her home in Tuckerton, New Jersey; her cause of death was not publicly disclosed.9NJ.com. NJ’s Gina Krasley From TLC’s My 600-lb Life Dead at 30
The Other Participant Suits
Several other cast members filed parallel actions with overlapping allegations:
- David Bolton (Season 6) alleged the company manipulated his family for dramatic effect, provided no mental health care, and failed to pay his medical costs. He sought $1 million and asked for a jury trial.10Starcasm. David Bolton My 600-lb Life Lawsuit Update
- Nicole Lewis (Season 5) accused Megalomedia of fraud, saying producers promised to pay for skin-removal surgery and six months of rent in Houston in exchange for a follow-up episode, and that neither was delivered.11The Ashley’s Reality Roundup. Nicole Lewis Becomes the Seventh My 600-lb Life Star to Sue Megalomedia
- Maja Radanovic, Jeanne Covey, Dottie Perkins, Annjeanette Whaley, Alicia Kirgan, and Matthew Ventress each filed with various combinations of negligence, emotional distress, promissory estoppel, and fraud claims. Several alleged filming schedules of up to 14 hours, being pushed to eat specific foods or lie on camera, and unmet promises of mental health care.12TCJL. Corpus Christi Court of Appeals Tosses Suit Against Producer of My 600-Pound Life
Attorney Tony Buzbee represented several of the plaintiffs. In May 2020 a judge denied Megalomedia’s initial motion to dismiss and allowed the cases to be consolidated.5Starcasm. My 600-lb Life Lawsuit Update A trial set for July 2021 was postponed.13New York Post. My 600-lb Life Star Gina Krasley Sued Show Before Death
How the Participant Cases Ended
The consolidated case involving Radanovic, Covey, Fallaw, Perkins, Whaley, Kirgan, and Ventress ended in Megalomedia’s favor. The company invoked the Texas Citizens Participation Act, arguing the suits targeted conduct tied to its exercise of free speech and association. When the trial court did not rule on the dismissal motions within 30 days, they were denied by operation of law.
On April 14, 2022, the Texas Thirteenth Court of Appeals reversed and dismissed all claims. The court found the plaintiffs had not established a prima facie case on any count. Texas does not recognize an independent cause of action for negligent infliction of mental anguish. On intentional infliction of emotional distress, the alleged conduct — long filming hours, being told to eat certain foods, threats of contract enforcement — did not meet the legal standard of “extreme and outrageous.” The gross negligence, promissory estoppel, and fraudulent inducement claims failed because the plaintiffs had not addressed them with evidence in their responses to the dismissal motions.14Courthouse News Service. Megalomedia, Inc. v. Maja Radnovic, et al., Memorandum Opinion
On the insurance side, Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Company filed a federal declaratory judgment action arguing it owed no duty to defend or indemnify Megalomedia, citing a policy exclusion for liabilities arising from “reality shows.” A federal judge agreed in June 2021.15Law360. Megalomedia, Inc. et al v. Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Company Megalomedia’s counterclaim that the policy had been sold through fraudulent inducement was rejected in September 2023. In September 2024 the Fifth Circuit remanded for jurisdictional discovery on a technical question about the citizenship of the LLC parties, without reaching the merits.16Findlaw. Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Company v. Megalomedia, Inc., et al.
Dr. Nowzaradan’s Current Standing
His Texas medical license remains active, listed through 2027.17Doximity. Younan Nowzaradan, MD No public disciplinary actions by the Texas Medical Board appear in the available record. He continues to practice from his Houston office.