The government of British Columbia has sued OpenAI in a California federal court, alleging that the company could have taken steps to alert law enforcement before the deadly Tumbler Ridge school shooting.
The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco, names OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman as defendants. It seeks damages linked to the province’s recovery costs and asks the court to require changes to how the company handles ChatGPT conversations that could indicate a risk of violence.
9 people, primarily children, were killed in the February attack in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. According to the lawsuit, the shooter, Jesse Van Rootselaar, had previously been flagged by OpenAI’s safety team following conversations involving gun violence, but police were not contacted.
The province alleges that safety team members recommended notifying law enforcement, but OpenAI leadership, including Altman, did not approve the action. The lawsuit also claims that after the shooter’s account was deactivated, she was able to create another account and continue using the platform.
Van Rootselaar, who was 18, allegedly shot her mother and stepbrother at home before killing an educational assistant and 5 students aged 12 to 13 at her former school on February 10. She then died by suicide.
The school is now being demolished, while the province has incurred costs related to a replacement school, mental health services and other recovery efforts, according to the lawsuit.
Altman previously said he was “deeply sorry” that OpenAI had not contacted law enforcement and promised reforms. The province alleges those changes did not follow through despite efforts by the attorney general to engage with the company.
OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri called the incident an unspeakable tragedy. “OpenAI remains committed to working collaboratively with government and law enforcement officials, and continuing to advance our ongoing safety work,” he said.
OpenAI has said its systems flag misuse linked to violent activity and that its internal standards include notifying law enforcement when conversations indicate “an imminent and credible risk of harm to others.”
The case follows other lawsuits alleging that ChatGPT contributed to violent incidents, including legal action connected to a mass shooting at Florida State University.
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