OpenAI faces 30 more lawsuits tied to Tumbler Ridge shooting

Edelson PC, the law firm that filed seven lawsuits against OpenAI in April on behalf of victims and families connected to the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting, is filing 30 additional complaints this week. The new plaintiffs include teachers, a principal, and students who were in the building during the attack but not physically shot. For the first time, the new filings accuse OpenAI of aiding and abetting the mass shooting, rather than just negligently failing to prevent it — a claim that requires proving intent and is likely to face early dismissal challenges.

The complaints are tied to a shooting that occurred in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, Canada, on February 10, when teenager Jesse Van Rootselaar killed her mother and half-brother at home, then went to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and killed six more people and injured dozens of others before dying by suicide. The Wall Street Journal has reported that OpenAI staff were alarmed by Van Rootselaar’s use of ChatGPT, including conversations about gun violence and advice on planning an attack, and that employees reportedly urged leaders to alert Canadian law enforcement — but leaders decided not to. The company deactivated her account instead; she made another one shortly after. OpenAI has said Van Rootselaar’s activity didn’t meet its internal bar for an “imminent and credible risk” of serious physical harm required to engage law enforcement. “That judgment is not infallible, but it is always rooted in looking out for this balance for people,” said Jason Kwon, OpenAI’s chief strategy officer, who oversees the human-review team and legal department.

The new complaints, for the first time, name OpenAI Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane as the person who told staff to stand down, alleging “on information and belief” that Lehane or someone in his chain of command made that call and that CEO Sam Altman ratified it — though the complaints offer no direct evidence Lehane was personally involved, and OpenAI has denied his involvement. Lehane is not listed as a defendant, though Altman is, as in the earlier seven suits. Kwon called it false that Lehane was involved in the original referral decision or that investigators report to him, and rejected the suggestion that safety isn’t prioritized or that political considerations are at play. Lead lawyer Jay Edelson told TechCrunch the firm is basing the claim partly on OpenAI’s org chart and its broader investigation into how Lehane operates within the company.

Why it matters

Accusing OpenAI of intentionally aiding a mass shooting, rather than just failing to stop one, raises the legal bar the plaintiffs must clear but also signals a more aggressive strategy for holding AI companies responsible for how their models are used before a violent act.