OpenAI Sued Over Failure to Report School Massacre Planning

Victims and witnesses of the February 2026 Tumbler Ridge Secondary School massacre in British Columbia filed 30 lawsuits against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman in a California federal court. The plaintiffs, which include students, teachers, and a principal, allege the company acted with negligence by failing to notify law enforcement about the suspect's violent interactions with ChatGPT.

The lawsuits claim that OpenAI's automated systems flagged 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar for gun violence activity and attack planning in June 2025. While internal safety teams reportedly recommended referring these logs to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the complaints allege that Sam Altman and Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane overruled the recommendation to protect the corporate brand. The suspect killed eight people, including her mother and stepbrother, before dying by suicide.

OpenAI Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon denied that Lehane was involved in the referral decision or that public relations factors influenced safety protocols. Sam Altman has previously issued a public apology to the community for the failure to report the account. Lead attorney Jay Edelson characterized the technology as helping plan murders rather than acting as a simple search engine.