Families of Tumbler Ridge Shooting Victims Sue OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman

Seven families of victims in a February school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, Canada, filed lawsuits against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman on Wednesday. The legal action alleges that the company and its ChatGPT chatbot were complicit in the injuries and deaths caused by the 18-year-old shooter.

The lawsuits follow an apology issued by Altman last week for not alerting authorities to the shooter’s conversations with ChatGPT, even after internal staff had flagged the account. Police report that the attacker killed eight people—including five students and a teacher—and wounded dozens before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

According to the complaints filed in federal court in Northern California, the shooter had extensive conversations with the AI months prior to the attack, discussing gun violence scenarios. One complaint, filed on behalf of 12-year-old Maya Gebala, alleges that OpenAI "made the conscious decision not to warn authorities" for fear it would harm the company’s business and prospects for an upcoming initial public offering.

OpenAI deactivated the shooter’s original account in June 2025 for violating policies regarding violent activities. However, the lawsuit claims that internal teams recommended contacting Canadian law enforcement at that time but were overruled by leadership who argued the risk was not "imminent." The families are now seeking unspecified financial damages and a court order requiring OpenAI to notify law enforcement of potential threats and improve safeguards against repeat policy violators.

An OpenAI spokesperson called the events a "tragedy" and stated the company has a zero-tolerance policy for using its tools to assist in violence. The company maintains it has since strengthened safeguards, including improved threat escalation and better detection of banned users.

Click here for Sam Altman's apology to Tumbler Ridge

Click here for the letter to the Tumbler Ridge community

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