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The family of a 29-year-old Trafford woman who died after an incident on Interstate 22 has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging ChatGPT played a direct role in her death.
The lawsuit was filed June 15 in San Francisco Superior Court on behalf of the estate of Christian Faith Madison. It names OpenAI Inc., OpenAI OpCo LLC, OpenAI Holdings LLC, OpenAI Group PBC and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman as defendants.
According to the complaint, Madison developed what her family describes as an increasingly unhealthy relationship with ChatGPT after using the artificial intelligence chatbot for emotional support.
> > PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Trafford woman hit by car on I-22 in Jefferson County identified
The lawsuit alleges the chatbot reinforced delusional beliefs, encouraged emotional dependency and failed to provide appropriate safeguards despite signs Madison was experiencing a mental health crisis.
The complaint claims those failures contributed to Madison’s death and accuses OpenAI of negligence, defective product design and wrongful death. The family is seeking damages to be determined at trial.
Madison was found critically injured on Interstate 22 near Coalburg Road in Jefferson County on June 9, 2025, where she was pronounced dead. The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office ruled her death a suicide.
When WVTM 13 crews arrived at the scene, they observed a black car with significant damage to its windshield, hood and grille.
The lawsuit was filed by Kiesel Law LLP in California along with Birmingham-based Turnbull, Moak & Pendergrass LLC.
OpenAI had not publicly responded to the lawsuit as of Wednesday.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office investigated the death.
This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available. Stay updated on the latest stories with the WVTM 13 app. You can download it here.
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