Dexcom G6 Glucose Monitor Lawsuit Claims Manufacturer’s Device Modifications Resulted in Teen’s Death

Lawsuit notes that Dexcom issued the first of several G6 glucose monitor recalls in January 2025, over software that could fail to provide critical alerts.

A Colorado father has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Dexcom, alleging that unauthorized changes to the company’s G6 continuous glucose monitoring system prevented critical alerts and contributed to his teenage son’s death.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by James Burdick in his capacity as the surviving parent of Jake Burdick, an 18-year-old with type 1 diabetes who died in May 2024 after experiencing an undetected hyperglycemic episode. The case was originally filed in Elbert County District Court in December 2025 and was removed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado on February 5, naming Dexcom Inc. as the defendant.

A continuous glucose monitor (CGM) is a system that uses small sensors placed under the skin to track glucose levels, which are then transmitted in real time to a smartphone or other device. CGMs are often preferred by individuals managing diabetes, since they do not require finger pricks and allow for readings of normal, high or low glucose levels at all times.

Glucose Monitor Recall Over Alert Failures

Burdick’s lawsuit indicates that Dexcom initiated a Class II recall of certain G6 glucose monitors in January 2025, warning that receiver software in certain devices might fail to provide high or low glucose alerts as designed.

The complaint goes on to point out that this was the first of several Dexcom G6 recalls issued last year. A separate recall in July 2025 reported that certain monitors may fail to sound alerts for dangerously high or low blood sugar levels, due to a potential defect. This was followed by a Dexcom wrongful death lawsuit in November, indicating that a Tennessee man, who had successfully managed his diabetes for more than 25 years, died after the monitor failed to register life-threatening levels of hyperglycemia.

Similarly, an Abbott FreeStyle Libre 3 sensors recall was issued in November 2025 following reports of the sensors producing dangerously inaccurate low blood sugar readings. Following the recall, a series of FreeStyle Libre 3 lawsuits have now been filed by individuals who suffered injuries, or experienced an inaccurate result.

According to the complaint, Jake Burdick had depended on the Dexcom G6 continuous glucose monitoring system for years to manage his diabetes. The lawsuit alleges that in late 2023 Dexcom made significant changes to the device, replacing an FDA approved sensor coating with a lower cost in house alternative and updating the software used in both the receiver and mobile app.

Burdick alleges these changes were made without submitting required premarket notifications to the FDA or obtaining regulatory approval.

The lawsuit claims that Dexcom’s own internal testing showed the modified sensors were less reliable and less accurate than the FDA-approved version, yet the company continued to manufacture, market and sell the altered devices. It also alleges that changes to the receiver and app software affected the system’s ability to provide timely glucose alerts, increasing the risk of missed hyperglycemic or hypoglycemic events.

On the night of May 17, 2024, Jake Burdick went to bed after what his father described as a normal day. Sometime overnight, he allegedly experienced a hyperglycemic episode. However, the lawsuit indicates that neither the G6 receiver nor the mobile app issued an alert. By the time his father found him unresponsive the next morning, it was too late to revive him. Emergency responders pronounced Jake dead shortly after 8 a.m. on May 18, 2024.

The complaint says the FDA conducted unannounced inspections at Dexcom facilities in Arizona and California less than a month after Jake’s death, and concluded that the G6 sensors were “adulterated” under federal law, determining that changes to the sensor coating constituted a design modification requiring premarket approval. The agency also cited Dexcom for failures in design verification, validation and hazard analysis related to inaccurate glucose readings.

“At the time of his death, Jake was wearing a modified sensor and had modified software on his G6 receiver and app.”

— James Burdick v. Dexcom Inc.

The lawsuit raises allegations of negligence, strict products liability, violations of the Colorado Consumer Protection Act and strict liability for misrepresentation. Burdick is seeking compensatory damages for economic and non-economic losses, including mental anguish, loss of companionship, funeral expenses and other damages allowed under Colorado law.

Continuous Glucose Monitor Lawsuits

As the number of adverse events associated with recalled glucose monitors continues to rise, attorneys across the country are investigating lawsuits on behalf of those who say they suffered serious injuries after relying on inaccurate sensor readings from Dexcom CGM devices as well as Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre 3 products.

Individuals may be eligible to file a FreeStyle Libre 3 or Libre 3 Plus claim if they or a loved one used a recalled sensor and suffered serious health complications, including:

• Wrongful death
• Extreme hypoglycemia
• Seizures
• Confusion or altered mental status
• Loss of consciousness
• Diabetic ketoacidosis
• Other acute metabolic emergencies
• Hospitalization

Product liability attorneys provide free case evaluations to help individuals and families understand whether they may be eligible to file a claim. 

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