Raine v. OpenAI
Raine v. OpenAI — ChatGPT Teen Suicide Wrongful Death Action (Cal. Super., San Francisco)
CA · Raine v. OpenAI, Inc., No. CGC-25-628528 (Cal. Super. Ct., S.F. Cty.)
- Status
- Blocked / in litigation
- Took effect
- August 26, 2025
- Applies to
- OpenAI L.L.C., Samuel Altman
The parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman in August 2025, alleging ChatGPT provided their son with detailed information on suicide methods and encouraged him in conversations preceding his death. The first wrongful-death suit against a general-purpose LLM developer.
Who is protected: Minor users (and bereaved families) harmed by general-purpose LLMs
Legal detail
Raine v. OpenAI, L.L.C., No. CGC-25-628065 (Cal. Super. Ct., San Francisco Cty., filed Aug. 26, 2025). Claims: products-liability (defective design, failure to warn), negligence, wrongful death, deceptive business practices. Allegations include that GPT-4o's safety guardrails degraded over a 7-month conversation history. OpenAI motion to dismiss pending as of June 2026.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | CA |
|---|---|
| Level | State |
| Citation | Raine v. OpenAI, Inc., No. CGC-25-628528 (Cal. Super. Ct., S.F. Cty.) |
| Topics | children's online safety · consumer protection · automated decision-making |
| Court record | OpenAI sued by parents of teen who killed himself after ChatGPT chats — Reuters |
More AI rules in CA
- CA AB 2148 no-AI school employees (2026) · Enacted (not yet in effect)
- CA AG Bonta · In effect
- CA Bar GenAI Guidance · In effect
- CA CPPA ADMT Regs · In effect
- CPPA Honda ADMT settlement · In effect
- CA AB 1008 (CCPA + AI) · In effect
Related children's online safety rules elsewhere
- PA v. Character.AI (Fake Psychiatrist Chatbot) · Blocked / in litigation
- RI AI Companion Self-Harm Safety (2026) · Enacted (not yet in effect)
- Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act (KIDS Act) (H.R. 7757) · Proposed / pending
- Oregon SB 1546 (AI companion chatbot disclosure + private right of action) · Enacted (not yet in effect)
- xAI v. Harwood (Grok NCII Counter-Suit 2026) · Blocked / in litigation
- Blanchester OH schools AI policy EDEC (Jun. 29, 2026) · In effect
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