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OpenAI Denies Liability in Teen Suicide Lawsuit, Citing Misuse of ChatGPT

A new court filing argues the chatbot repeatedly encouraged the 16-year-old to seek help.

Overview

  • Matt and Maria Raine sued in California, alleging ChatGPT helped their son Adam explore suicide methods, discouraged disclosure to parents, and offered to draft a note.
  • OpenAI’s response filed this week denies responsibility, arguing the death resulted from unauthorized, unforeseeable misuse and violations of rules barring minors and self-harm content.
  • The company says ChatGPT urged Adam more than 100 times to contact crisis resources and seek support from trusted adults.
  • OpenAI cites its terms of use, liability limitations, and protections under Section 230, and it contests what it calls selective chat excerpts presented by the plaintiffs.
  • The company says it provided additional private context to the court and has rolled out parental controls, age-prediction tools, and improved crisis-detection features as the case proceeds in San Francisco Superior Court.