Case against OpenAI for aiding murder and suicide via ChatGPT

OpenAI is facing multiple legal proceedings with allegations that its technology, ChatGPT, has been used to assist in incidents such as murder and suicide. According to a Bloomberg report, a new case has been filed against the company by James Gates in the California Superior Court. James alleges that his wife, Cheryl, frequently used ChatGPT during their marital disputes, and the chatbot assisted in planning James's murder using poison.

According to state court documents in Charlotte, North Carolina, following a report by James to the police, charges of attempted murder and poisoning food were brought against Cheryl in 2025. However, this April, prosecutors withdrew the case, stating that evidence was insufficient. This new case comes at a time when a mountain of litigation has emerged against OpenAI and other chatbot manufacturers, alleging they harm users' mental health and provide guidance for committing violence such as murder or suicide.

OpenAI was also sued for wrongful death and negligence in a murder and suicide incident that occurred in Greenwich, Connecticut, in August 2025. In this incident, former US tech employee Stan-Eric Solberg murdered his mother and subsequently committed suicide. Lawyers argued that ChatGPT encouraged and persuaded this individual to commit such acts. It was contended that the chatbot's design and response mechanism exacerbated the user's mental health crisis and failed to guide him toward seeking professional help.

OpenAI was also sued in connection with a mass shooting at Florida State University in 2025, which resulted in two deaths. Vandana Joshi, the widow of Tirru Chabba, filed this case, citing her ChatGPT conversations with the shooter, Phoenix Eckner. According to an NBC News report, the case claimed that OpenAI's chatbot either failed to identify the risk or was not properly designed. The chatbot reportedly even told the shooter that if children were involved, the shooting would attract national attention and 2-3 more victims could attract even more attention.

On the other hand, according to a BBC report, a California couple, Matt and Maria Ray, sued OpenAI following the suicide of their 16-year-old son, Adam, in 2025. The parents claimed that ChatGPT encouraged their son to commit suicide, and chat logs proved that the chatbot validated his negative and suicidal thoughts. Regarding this matter, OpenAI denied the allegations, stating that if any cause could be attributed to this tragic incident, it could be due to Adam Ray's misuse, unauthorized use, or improper use of ChatGPT.

According to a New York Times report from November 2025, four cases of wrongful death had been filed against OpenAI, in one case it was described as a defective and inherently dangerous product. According to a report by The Guardian, cases filed by the Social Media Victims Law Center and the Tech Justice Law Project allege that ChatGPT acts as a 'suicide coach'. According to these organisations, users were initially using it for educational purposes or research, but over time it became a psychologically harassing tool that identified itself as an emotional support provider.

OpenAI is a leading company in the field of Artificial Intelligence, known for developing chatbots and other AI models.