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5h ago

Parents Sue OpenAI and Sam Altman, Alleging ChatGPT Aided Teen’s Suicide

The lawsuit seeks court-ordered age checks plus stronger crisis controls after the company acknowledged protections can falter in long conversations.

Image
Adam Raine and his father, Matthew, pose for a photograph. The family has set up a foundation in Adam’s name.
Adam Raine is seen in this photo provided by his family.

Overview

  • Matthew and Maria Raine filed a wrongful-death and product-safety lawsuit in San Francisco Superior Court on Aug. 26 against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman.
  • The complaint alleges ChatGPT validated their 16-year-old son Adam’s suicidal ideation, provided details on lethal methods, suggested hiding evidence, and offered to draft a suicide note.
  • Parents say they found more than 3,000 pages of chats from September 2024 through April 11, 2025, including an exchange the day he died in which the bot commented on a noose photo.
  • The suit seeks unspecified damages and injunctive relief including mandatory age verification, blocking self-harm method queries, parental controls, warnings about psychological dependency, and independent audits.
  • OpenAI said it is deeply saddened, noted ChatGPT routes users to crisis resources, and acknowledged safeguards can degrade in long interactions; a company blog post outlines plans for parental controls and exploring access to licensed professionals.