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OpenAI faces 30 new lawsuits alleging it aided Tumbler Ridge shooting suspect

Confirmed1 source · Sep 2, 2026

Students, teachers, and a principal have sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman in California federal court, claiming the company failed to act on safety flags about the alleged shooter's conversations with ChatGPT.

OpenAI faces 30 new lawsuits alleging it aided Tumbler Ridge shooting suspect
Image via The Verge

What happened

Thirty lawsuits were filed Wednesday in California federal court by students, teachers, and a principal from Tumbler Ridge school against OpenAI and Sam Altman. The suits allege that OpenAI provided "substantial assistance and encouragement" to alleged shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar by failing to act after its automated review system flagged conversations with ChatGPT about gun violence. According to the lawsuits, OpenAI's safety team recommended contacting Canadian authorities, but chief global affairs officer Chris Lehane allegedly decided to stay silent due to concerns about the company's "reputational and financial standing." The lawsuits also claim OpenAI allowed the suspect continued access to ChatGPT by deactivating rather than banning the account, enabling the suspect to regain access via a new email. OpenAI chief strategy officer Jason Kwon responded on X, calling the claims "false" and denying that political or PR factors influenced safety decisions.

Context

These lawsuits follow similar suits filed by Tumbler Ridge victims' families in April. OpenAI is also facing a separate lawsuit from Florida alleging the company aided mass shooters, including one at Florida State University. The lawsuits raise questions about how AI companies implement and respond to their own safety systems when those systems detect potential threats, and whether reputational or financial considerations influence decisions to report suspicious activity to authorities.

What's disputed

Whether OpenAI's safety teams prioritized safety in their response to the flagged conversations; whether political or PR factors influenced the decision not to contact authorities; the factual accuracy of the allegations that the company provided substantial assistance to the shooter.