SEATTLE, Wash., Nov. 13, 2025 – Yesterday, the parents of Luke Tyler, the Washington State University (WSU) freshman who was found dead in his dorm room on January 22, 2023, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in the King County Superior Court against Hims & Hers Health, Inc. (Hims) and others. Hims is a self-described publicly traded telehealth platform. Andrew Dudum, a co-founder of Hims, has touted the company’s vision as “being able to build the healthcare system of the future.”

In their lawsuit, Colleen and John Tyler allege that less than an hour after Hims targeted Luke through an Instagram ad, a Texas-based Hims “provider” prescribed Luke 90 days’ worth of an antidepressant known to increase the risk of suicide in adolescents without any consultation, despite Luke’s disclosed history of undiagnosed depression and “bad self-harm habits.”

Thirty days later, the same Hims “provider” doubled Luke’s dosage and Hims sent him another 90 pills, still without speaking to Luke. During this time, Luke was being hazed by the WSU chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity, Inc. (Theta Chi), the fraternity he was pledging. The night before “Hell Week” was supposed to begin for his Theta Chi pledge class, Luke died by suicide using the Hims-prescribed medication.

The Tylers claim Luke’s death was a foreseeable consequence of Hims’ dangerous expansion into mental healthcare, via telehealth, shortly before their 2021 IPO that made hundreds of millions of dollars for the company’s founders. They also allege that Hims built its telehealth business around tightly controlled Affiliated Medical Groups (AMGs). Those AMGs have been run by a handful of unqualified medical professionals, including one who recently pled guilty to a nearly $2 million federal healthcare fraud via telemedicine; another who was sanctioned by the Florida Department of Health for prescribing an excessive amount of Benadryl over telemedicine; and a third who had her medical license suspended in at least twenty states for, according to one medical board, prescribing medications without establishing “a valid physician/patient relationship, utilizing a questionnaire in lieu of physical examination” and “dishonorable or unethical conduct likely to deceive, defraud, or harm the public.”

According to the Complaint, Hims used its AMGs to circumvent the prohibition on for-profit corporations practicing medicine and pump out prescriptions to “subscribers” like Luke. The Tylers allege that the way Hims “treated” Luke’s mental health was reckless, violated Washington law, and disregarded any concern for his health and safety.

The Tylers are not commenting on their lawsuit at this time. Any questions or inquiries should be directed to their attorneys at The Fierberg National Law Group, PLLC, and Schroeter Goldmark & Bender. View the Complaint here.