Ozempic Side Effects Caused Stomach Paralysis and Severe Abdominal Pain, Lawsuit Claims

Lawsuit notes that a Mississippi man’s gastrointestinal problems continued long after he stopped injections of the diabetes and weight loss drug.

After suffering severe nausea, vomiting and gastroparesis, a Mississippi man has filed a lawsuit indicating manufacturers failed to provide users with adequate warnings about the risks of Ozempic side effects.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Benny Shumpert in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on April 10, naming Novo Nordisk as the defendant.

Ozempic (semaglutide) is a type 2 diabetes treatment, and part of a class of similar medications known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, such as Victoza, Trulicity and Mounjaro. The popularity of the class of medications has skyrocketed with the promotion of their weight loss benefits in recent years.

Although promoted as safe and effective, with few long-term side effects, GLP-1 medications have been linked to severe gastrointestinal issues, such as stomach paralysis (gastroparesis), ileus, abdominal obstructions and other adverse effects.

Now, like Shumpert, hundreds of former patients are pursuing Ozempic lawsuits, Wegovy lawsuits and Mounjaro lawsuits. Each claim presents similar allegations that users developed painful and debilitating stomach problems, which could have been avoided if the drug makers had not provided false and misleading information to patients and the medical community.

According to Shumpert’s complaint, he was prescribed Ozempic injections in August 2021 for the treatment of his type 2 diabetes.

After experiencing Ozempic side effects like abdominal pain, bloating and nausea, Shumpert underwent a Gastric Emptying Study in April 2022, where it was confirmed that he was suffering from gastroparesis.

“Plaintiff continues to experience symptoms of abdominal pain, gastroparesis, abdominal bloating, nausea and vomiting as a result of Ozempic,” the lawsuit states. “His life is forever changed because of his usage of Ozempic.”

Shumpert presents claims of negligence, failure to warn, design defect, negligent misrepresentation and marketing, fraudulent misrepresentation, and violations of Mississippi consumer protection and trade practice laws. He is seeking both compensatory and punitive damages.

April 2025 Ozempic Lawsuits Update

Shumpert’s complaint will be consolidated with hundreds of similar claims as part of a GLP-1 lawsuit multidistrict litigation centralized in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania under U.S. District Judge Karen Marston.

Judge Marston is seeking to hold a series of bellwether trials, which will test how juries may respond to certain evidence and testimony that will be central throughout thousands of individual claims. 

However, first the judge has tasked the parties with addressing a number of “cross-cutting” issues, including whether claims are preempted by federal law, whether plaintiffs are required to present specific diagnostic testing evidence to substantiate their injuries, and whether there is sufficient general causation evidence linking Ozempic and the gastrointestinal injuries.

While the outcomes of these early test cases will not be binding on other claims, they will be closely watched and may help the parties negotiate GLP-1 settlements to resolve large numbers of lawsuits in the future.