The province of British Columbia, Canada, has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in California. The legal action stems from a mass shooting incident that occurred earlier this year in the province, where the plaintiff alleges that OpenAI failed to alert law enforcement despite having access to relevant ChatGPT logs.
On February 10, a teenager named Jesse Van Rootselaar killed five students, a teacher, his mother, and his half-brother at a school in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, before taking his own life. The lawsuit claims that OpenAI staff were aware of the shooter's plans but chose not to notify Canadian authorities.
The filing accuses OpenAI of designing a dangerous product and ignoring warnings from its own safety team. It further alleges that the company allowed the shooter to regain access to the platform after his account had been disabled, prioritizing corporate interests over public safety.
British Columbia is seeking a jury trial and damages for both past and ongoing harm. The province is also requesting injunctive relief to prevent similar tragedies in the future. The legal documents state that a single phone call to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police could have potentially averted the incident.
In response to the lawsuit, an OpenAI spokesperson issued a statement via email, expressing condolences to the victims, their families, and the community of Tumbler Ridge, describing the event as an unspeakable tragedy.
