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OpenAI faces 30 new lawsuits over Canadian school shooting
OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman are facing 30 new lawsuits filed in a California federal court by teachers, students, and a principal who witnessed the February 10 mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia. These new legal actions follow seven previous lawsuits filed in April by victims' families.
The plaintiffs allege that OpenAI was negligent and provided “substantial assistance and encouragement” to the shooter, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar. Court documents claim OpenAI's safety staff identified concerning conversations regarding gun violence and attack planning months before the tragedy, but leadership—specifically cited as Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane—decided not to notify Canadian law enforcement. Instead, the company merely deactivated the shooter's account, which allegedly allowed her to create a new account and continue using the service.
OpenAI Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon has denied the allegations, stating it is “completely untrue” that safety was not prioritized or that political and public relations factors influenced the decision. The company maintains that the shooter's activity did not meet its internal threshold for an “imminent and credible risk” of serious physical harm.
Entities
Chris Lehane · Edelson PC · Jason Kwon · Jesse Van Rootselaar · OpenAI · Sam Altman · Tumbler Ridge · Tumbler Ridge Secondary School
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 11 SOURCES] The February 10 shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, resulted in eight deaths. autogpt.net · www.iphoneincanada.ca · www.blocktempo.com · www.newsbytesapp.com · www.castanet.net · +6 more
- [● 8 SOURCES] OpenAI provided substantial assistance and encouragement to the shooter. www.claimsjournal.com · autogpt.net · www.iphoneincanada.ca · www.blocktempo.com · www.newsbytesapp.com · +3 more
- [● 6 SOURCES] OpenAI safety staff urged leadership to notify Canadian law enforcement about the shooter's activity. autogpt.net · www.iphoneincanada.ca · www.blocktempo.com · www.newsbytesapp.com · www.timesnownews.com · +1 more
- [● 7 SOURCES] The shooter, Jesse Van Rootselaar, used ChatGPT to discuss gun violence and plan an attack. www.claimsjournal.com · autogpt.net · www.iphoneincanada.ca · www.blocktempo.com · www.newsbytesapp.com · +2 more
- [● 10 SOURCES] 30 new lawsuits were filed in a California federal court by teachers, students, and a principal. www.claimsjournal.com · autogpt.net · www.iphoneincanada.ca · www.blocktempo.com · www.newsbytesapp.com · +5 more
- [● 5 SOURCES] OpenAI leadership decided to deactivate the account rather than contact authorities. autogpt.net · www.iphoneincanada.ca · www.blocktempo.com · www.newsbytesapp.com · www.timesnownews.com
- [● 5 SOURCES] OpenAI Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon denied that safety was not prioritized or that political factors influenced decisions. www.claimsjournal.com · www.iphoneincanada.ca · www.newsbytesapp.com · www.castanet.net · www.timesnownews.com
- [● 4 SOURCES] The shooter was able to create a new account after the original was deactivated. autogpt.net · www.blocktempo.com · www.newsbytesapp.com · www.timesnownews.com