Families in several states have sued OpenAI, claiming that ChatGPT encouraged a son, daughter, husband or wife who was thinking about suicide when it should have steered them to help. This article explains which ChatGPT suicide lawsuits have been filed, what they allege, what OpenAI says in response, where the cases stand in November 2026, and who can file.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or chat at 988lifeline.org. In an emergency, call 911.
Did You Lose Someone After They Used ChatGPT?
Your family may have a claim if these are true:
- A family member, adult or minor, used ChatGPT regularly.
- ChatGPT encouraged thoughts of suicide or self-harm, or failed to discourage them.
- The person died by suicide, or attempted suicide and needed a hospital or mental health admission.
Call 866-837-1010 or send us a message. The conversation is free and confidential, and we will tell you plainly whether we think there is a case.
The ChatGPT Suicide Lawsuits Filed So Far
- Raine v. OpenAI (August 2025). The parents of a 16-year-old California boy sued in San Francisco Superior Court (No. CGC-25-628528). It was the first wrongful death case against OpenAI over ChatGPT.
- Seven cases filed November 6, 2025. The Social Media Victims Law Center and the Tech Justice Law Project filed seven cases in California state courts. Four are wrongful death cases, for a 17-year-old from Georgia and for adults from Texas, Florida and Oregon. Three are psychiatric injury cases.
- Parish v. OpenAI (June 2026). An Alabama family sued over the death of a 29-year-old woman. We explain that case in our post on the Alabama ChatGPT lawsuit.
- October 2026 filings. More family lawsuits were filed in San Francisco, including a wrongful death case over a 15-year-old.
By mid-2026 more than 20 lawsuits were pending against OpenAI over harm tied to ChatGPT. Not all of them involve suicide.
What the Lawsuits Say ChatGPT Did
The complaints make similar allegations about how the product was built:
- It agreed with users when it should have challenged them, including when a user talked about suicide.
- Its memory feature made it feel like a confidant, and in the Raine case the family alleges it discouraged their son from confiding in them.
- OpenAI shortened safety testing before releasing the GPT-4o model in May 2024 and, according to the Raine family’s amended complaint, loosened the rule that had required ChatGPT to refuse to engage on suicide and self-harm.
- It had no way to alert a parent or anyone else when a user was in crisis.
These are allegations. No court has decided whether they are true.
What OpenAI Says
OpenAI denies responsibility. In its answer in the Raine case, filed in November 2025, the company said the teenager had significant risk factors before he used ChatGPT, that he got around its safeguards by framing questions as fiction or schoolwork, and that ChatGPT pointed him to crisis resources and trusted people more than 100 times. It has called the allegations in the later cases heartbreaking while denying liability.
Where the Cases Stand in November 2026
California has coordinated the ChatGPT cases filed in its state courts in one proceeding, JCCP 5431, before Judge Ethan P. Schulman in San Francisco. He appointed lead lawyers for the plaintiffs in August 2026, and discovery has reportedly opened. No court in the coordinated cases has ruled on OpenAI’s legal defenses, no trial date has been set, and no case has settled or been tried.
In federal court, a judge in California refused in April 2026 to halt a separate wrongful death case against OpenAI while a related state case goes forward. Nine states sued OpenAI in October 2026, but those are government cases and do not pay families.
Who Can File a ChatGPT Wrongful Death Claim
The person who died does not have to have been a minor. What matters is the use of ChatGPT, what it said, and what followed. Who is allowed to file depends on the state:
- Alabama: the personal representative of the estate files, generally within two years of the death. See our Alabama AI chatbot lawsuit page.
- Georgia: the surviving spouse files; if there is no spouse, the children; if there is neither, the parents. The deadline is generally two years. See our Georgia page.
- Tennessee: the surviving spouse, or if there is none the children or next of kin, or the estate’s personal representative. The deadline is generally one year. See our Tennessee page.
A person who survived an attempt and was hospitalized may have an injury claim of their own.
The Evidence That Matters Most
The conversations are the case. Do not delete the account, the app or any chat. In ChatGPT, an account holder can request a copy of the data under Settings, then Data controls, then Export data. Keep the phone or computer the person used, and gather the medical, counseling and hospital records. Write down when the use started and what changed.
Our ChatGPT lawsuit page follows the litigation against OpenAI, and if you have seen ads for a settlement, read whether a ChatGPT class action settlement or claim form exists.
Talk With an AI Chatbot Lawyer
Fob & Foster Personal Injury Lawyers review these cases for families at no charge. Call 866-837-1010 or send us a message. There is no fee unless we recover.
Related reading: AI psychosis lawsuits and the monthly AI chatbot lawsuit update.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a ChatGPT suicide lawsuit?
Yes, several. The first, Raine v. OpenAI, was filed in San Francisco in August 2025 by the parents of a 16-year-old. Four more wrongful death cases were filed in California in November 2025, an Alabama family filed in June 2026, and more followed in October 2026. Each is an individual lawsuit. There is no class action.
Can a family file if the person who died was an adult?
Yes. Several of the pending cases involve adults, including people who were 23, 26, 29 and 48. Cases involving minors add allegations about age verification, but the product liability and negligence claims do not depend on age.
Has any ChatGPT suicide case settled or gone to trial?
No. As of November 2026, no settlement has been publicly announced in a ChatGPT injury or wrongful death case, no case has been tried, and no trial date has been set in the coordinated California cases.
How long does a family have to file?
It depends on the state. Alabama and Georgia generally allow two years from the death, and Tennessee generally allows one year. Who is allowed to file also differs by state, so have a lawyer confirm both before the deadline is close.
Fob James, IV
Fob James obtained a B.S., in software engineering from Auburn University and then continued his education by getting his J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law. After working for a large national firm for several years, Fob found that his passion was fighting for individuals who have been seriously injured or wronged by others. Fob believes that the jury is the great equalizer to the power and influence that large corporations have in society. Many of Fob’s cases are high profile and have been featured in, among others: Bloomberg News, PlanAdvisor, AL.com, PlanSponsor, National Law Review, and BusinessInsider. For his work in obtaining numerous multi-million dollar outcomes for his clients, Fob has been recognized by: National Trial Lawyers Top 100, SuperLawyers Rising Star (2020-2026), Birmingham Business Journal Who’s Who in Law (2023-2025), and TrustAnalytica – Top Personal Injury Lawyers in Alabama.