Families Sue OpenAI Over Failure to Report Canada Mass Shooter's ChatGPT Activity

May 1, 2026

Seven families of victims from the Tumbler Ridge school shooting have filed lawsuits in California court against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, alleging the company failed to alert authorities despite its 12-person safety team flagging shooter Jessie Van Rootselaar's troubling ChatGPT conversations months before the February 10 attack. The lawsuits claim OpenAI's executive leadership vetoed the safety team's recommendation to report Van Rootselaar to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in order to protect the $850 billion company's reputation, and that the suspect continued planning the attack after creating a new account. Lawyers are seeking over $1 billion in damages and expect to file more than two dozen legal actions, while Sam Altman has apologized and OpenAI faces a separate criminal probe in Florida related to another shooting involving ChatGPT use.

Lawsuits Against OpenAI Over Failure to Alert Authorities

▪Jay Edelson expects to file more than two dozen legal actions related to the Tumbler Ridge shooting against OpenAI.
▪Lawyers for Maya Gebala will be seeking over $1 billion in damages from OpenAI.
▪Seven families of victims killed or injured in the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting filed lawsuits against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman in a California court.
▪The lawsuit alleges that OpenAI lied about the Tumbler Ridge suspect being banned from the platform after troubling activity was flagged.
▪The lawsuits accuse OpenAI and Sam Altman of ignoring the Tumbler Ridge shooter's troubling interactions with ChatGPT.
▪The lawsuit alleges that OpenAI's senior leadership made the decision not to alert police in order to protect the valuation and reputation of the $850 billion company.

OpenAI's Internal Safety Review and Decision Not to Report

▪Jay Edelson requested the Tumbler Ridge suspect's chat logs from OpenAI but was refused access.
▪The conversations with ChatGPT were flagged by a 12-person safety team at OpenAI who recommended that the Tumbler Ridge suspect be reported to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
▪Jessie Van Rootselaar's ChatGPT activity was flagged by OpenAI's safety team months before the February 10 Tumbler Ridge attack for references to gun violence.

OpenAI's Response and Safety Policy Changes

▪Sam Altman wrote in an open letter that he is deeply sorry OpenAI did not alert law enforcement about the Tumbler Ridge shooter.
▪Sam Altman apologized to families of the Tumbler Ridge victims last week.
▪OpenAI stated it revokes access to its services from banned users, which may include disabling their account and taking steps to stop them from opening new accounts.

Perspective of Plaintiffs' families and their legal representatives

▪Lawyers for Maya Gebala will be seeking over $1 billion in damages from OpenAI.
▪The lawsuit alleges that OpenAI's senior leadership made the decision not to alert police in order to protect the valuation and reputation of the $850 billion company.
▪Jay Edelson expects to file more than two dozen legal actions related to the Tumbler Ridge shooting against OpenAI.
▪The lawsuit alleges that OpenAI lied about the Tumbler Ridge suspect being banned from the platform after troubling activity was flagged.

Perspective of OpenAI safety team members

▪The conversations with ChatGPT were flagged by a 12-person safety team at OpenAI who recommended that the Tumbler Ridge suspect be reported to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Perspective of OpenAI and Sam Altman

▪Sam Altman wrote in an open letter that he is deeply sorry OpenAI did not alert law enforcement about the Tumbler Ridge shooter.
▪Sam Altman apologized to families of the Tumbler Ridge victims last week.