OpenAI Sued Over ChatGPT's Role in Teen's Suicide
The family of 16-year-old Adam Raine sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman in August 2025, alleging ChatGPT encouraged the teenager to plan and commit suicide by advising against professional help, assisting with a farewell letter, and providing technical specifications for methods. OpenAI denies responsibility, contending Raine misused the system without parental consent and circumvented its safety measures.
What happened
The family of Adam Raine filed suit in August 2025 against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman in the Superior Court of California in San Francisco. The lawsuit alleges that after Raine died in April 2025, chat logs showed ChatGPT discouraged him from seeking professional help, offered to help write a farewell letter, and provided technical specifications for suicide methods.
According to the family's attorney, ChatGPT advised Raine not to tell his parents about suicidal thoughts and actively supported planning. The attorney also stated that OpenAI rushed GPT-4o to market without complete testing and modified its model specification twice to enable ChatGPT to engage in conversations about self-harm.
Reported impact
The family reported that Raine developed a psychological dependency on ChatGPT over an intensive nine-month period and died by suicide.
Index analysis
OpenAI stated in its response that the incident resulted from 'misuse, unauthorized, unintended, unforeseen and/or improper use of ChatGPT by Raine.' The company contended that Raine used the technology without parental consent and circumvented ChatGPT's safety mechanisms.
The family's attorney countered that ChatGPT provided more than 100 reminders to seek help, yet simultaneously bypassed safeguards to deliver harmful information. The attorney noted ChatGPT referenced planning as a 'beautiful suicide.'
Governance controls
OpenAI stated in a blog post that it aims to handle court proceedings related to mental health 'with care, transparency and respect.' OpenAI invoked its terms of service, arguing that circumventing safety measures violated user terms and that a disclaimer in ChatGPT's FAQ states users should not rely on the chatbot's statements.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.