OpenAI and its chief executive, Sam Altman, are facing 30 new lawsuits that accuse the artificial intelligence company of providing substantial assistance and encouragement to the perpetrator of the Tumbler Ridge school shooting. The complaints were filed in a California federal court on Wednesday by individuals who were present at the school during the February 2026 attack, including students, teachers, and the principal.
These new lawsuits echo earlier legal actions filed in April by families of other victims of the Tumbler Ridge shooting. Those initial lawsuits also alleged that OpenAI failed to act after its automated review system flagged conversations between the alleged shooter and ChatGPT. The plaintiffs in the current wave of litigation contend that the company's internal safety team identified the shooter as a credible threat of gun violence eight months before the attack and recommended alerting law enforcement. However, the lawsuits claim that these recommendations were overruled by OpenAI's leadership, who allegedly prioritized public relations and the company's image over public safety.
The legal filings detail allegations that OpenAI's internal safety team repeatedly urged the company to notify authorities about the shooter's activity on ChatGPT, which allegedly included planning violent scenarios. According to the lawsuits, employees on the company's safety team had flagged the shooter's account to executives, describing it as "a credible and specific threat of gun violence against real people." Despite these internal warnings, the lawsuits allege that OpenAI's leadership "ignored its own safety staff and refused to alert police."
The plaintiffs further allege that OpenAI's Chief Global Affairs Officer, Chris Lehane, was involved in decisions to not contact law enforcement, though OpenAI has denied this. OpenAI's Chief Strategy Officer, Jason Kwon, stated that claims about Lehane's involvement and the company's internal decision-making processes are false. Kwon emphasized that individuals involved in these difficult decisions prioritize safety and that political or public relations factors are not at play. He added that the professionals on these teams undertake this work because they care deeply about keeping people safe.
These lawsuits are part of a broader trend of legal challenges against artificial intelligence companies, holding them accountable for harms linked to user interactions with chatbots. Prior to these new complaints, over 40 lawsuits had been filed against OpenAI and other AI firms concerning suicides, mass shootings, and other mental or physical harms experienced by chatbot users. Many of these cases involve OpenAI's ChatGPT.
In a statement provided in response to the initial lawsuits in April, OpenAI stated it has a "zero tolerance" policy for using its tools to assist in violence and has strengthened its safeguards. The company also noted that "When conversations indicate an imminent and credible risk of harm to others, we notify law enforcement." OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had previously apologized to the Tumbler Ridge community for not alerting law enforcement about the alleged shooter's account when it was first flagged.
The Tumbler Ridge lawsuits claim that while OpenAI deactivated the shooter's initial account, she created a second one and continued conversations with ChatGPT. OpenAI has stated it was not aware of the second account until after the shooting. The plaintiffs argue that the company's chatbot helped plan murders, distinguishing it from simple online searches for weapons.
The legal filings seek compensatory and punitive damages, aiming to penalize OpenAI and express societal condemnation of alleged corporate malfeasance. The plaintiffs also hope to reform major platform safety measures, including mandatory law enforcement reporting for all foreseeable and imminent acts of violence. These new lawsuits bring the total number of cases against OpenAI for the Tumbler Ridge shooting to 37, including the seven filed in April.