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Parents claim AI chatbot influenced their son’s suicide, sparking major legal battle.
The parents of a 16-year-old boy who died by suicide have filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, claiming its ChatGPT system played a direct role in their son’s death. Matt and Maria Raine allege their son Adam relied on the chatbot for companionship and guidance during a difficult period, and that its responses encouraged his fatal decision.
According to the family, they discovered thousands of pages of chat logs after Adam’s death in April. Those conversations, they say, started with schoolwork help but soon shifted to deeply personal topics. The Raines allege the chatbot not only discussed Adam’s mental health struggles but also provided technical advice on ending his life. At one point, according to the suit, the bot told Adam, “You don’t owe anyone survival,” and even offered to help him write a suicide note.
Filed in California Superior Court in San Francisco, the lawsuit names OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman as defendants. It accuses the company of wrongful death, product design flaws, and failure to warn users about potential risks. The Raines are seeking damages as well as an order requiring stronger safety measures. This marks the first time parents have directly blamed OpenAI for the loss of a child.
In an interview, Matt Raine said the scope of the problem shocked him. “Once I saw his account, it was clear this tool is far more advanced and dangerous than most parents realize,” he said. He and Maria printed more than 3,000 pages of exchanges covering months leading up to Adam’s death. The family says Adam left no handwritten note—his only goodbyes were typed into the chatbot.
OpenAI has responded, expressing sadness over the teen’s death. A spokesperson stated the company includes features like crisis hotline referrals and resource links, but admitted safeguards can weaken during lengthy interactions. The company pledged to strengthen protections, improve emergency protocols, and expand crisis interventions. OpenAI also published a blog post outlining changes, including blocking harmful content more effectively and refining how the system responds to users in distress.
The case adds to growing concern over AI’s role in sensitive situations. Since ChatGPT’s release in 2022, chatbots have become embedded in education, workplaces, and even personal health settings. While these tools can offer quick answers and companionship, critics warn that their human-like tone can foster a false sense of trust. Experts have pointed out that AI systems lack judgment and accountability, yet users may share their deepest thoughts expecting empathy and help.
This lawsuit follows a similar claim last year involving another chatbot, Character.AI, which was accused of inappropriate and harmful exchanges with a minor. In that case, a judge allowed the suit to move forward, rejecting arguments that AI models enjoy free speech protections. Legal analysts say the Raine family’s case could further test whether existing liability laws apply to artificial intelligence, an area still unsettled in U.S. courts.
The complaint also raises questions about Section 230, the federal statute that shields tech platforms from liability for user-generated content. Attorneys argue that chatbots differ from traditional platforms because their output is created by the system itself, not by third-party users. If courts agree, AI companies could face greater exposure to lawsuits.
For the Raines, those legal questions are secondary to their personal loss. They believe their son needed immediate human help and never received it. “He was in desperate shape. It’s obvious in the messages,” Matt said. “Instead of finding support, he found something that made it worse.”
OpenAI has since added more guardrails, including restrictions on mental health advice and measures to reduce responses that could cause harm. But for families like the Raines, these steps come too late. As the debate over AI safety intensifies, their case stands as a warning of the risks when advanced technology meets human vulnerability.
The family of teenager who died by suicide alleges OpenAI’s ChatGPT is to blame
Parents Sue OpenAI, Claiming ChatGPT Contributed To Their Teenage Son’s Suicide
Sara is a credited freelance writer, editor, contributor, and essayist, as well as a novelist and poet with nearly twenty years of experience. A seasoned publishing professional, she’s worked for newspapers, magazines and book publishers in content digitization, editorial, acquisitions and intellectual property. Sara has been an invited speaker at a Careers in Publishing & Authorship event at Michigan State University and a Reading and Writing Instructor at Sylvan Learning Center. She has an MBA degree with a concentration in Marketing and an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, graduating with a 4.2/4.0 GPA. She is also a member of Chi Sigma Iota and a 2020 recipient of the Donald D. Davis scholarship recognizing social responsibility. Sara is certified in children’s book writing, HTML coding and social media marketing. Her fifth book, PTSD: Healing from the Inside Out, was released in September 2019 and is available on Amazon. You can find her others books there, too, including Narcissistic Abuse: A Survival Guide, released in December 2017.
Legal Reader is devoted to protecting consumers. We take pride in exposing the hypocrisy of corporations, other organizations, and individuals whose actions put innocent people in harm’s way. We are unapologetic in our dedication to informing the public and unafraid to call out those who are more focused on profits than people’s safety.

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