The Canadian province of British Columbia has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, in a federal court in San Francisco, alleging that the company failed to prevent a deadly mass shooting by not alerting law enforcement about violent activity on its ChatGPT platform. The case follows a February attack at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, a remote community in British Columbia, where the shooter, Jesse Van Rootselaar, killed eight people—including five students and an educational assistant—along with her mother and sibling before dying by suicide.
The lawsuit claims OpenAI was made aware months before the shooting, in June 2025, when its automated monitoring system flagged Van Rootselaar’s ChatGPT account for a “credible specific risk of harm to others.” Although the company’s human reviewers recommended notifying police, OpenAI’s leadership reportedly decided against reporting and instead deactivated the account. The lawsuit asserts that the attacker then created a second account and continued using ChatGPT to plan the attack, contending that the massacre could have been prevented had OpenAI warned law enforcement or the school.
British Columbia Attorney General Niki Sharma, who is leading the province’s legal action, said the company has not taken sufficient steps to address concerns raised by survivors and authorities. Sharma has called for revisions to Canada’s criminal code to ensure human accountability for AI’s actions and emphasized the need for stronger safeguards, improved transparency, and concrete preventative measures. The lawsuit is seeking damages to cover costs related to recovery efforts in Tumbler Ridge, including rebuilding the school, which began demolition in August, as well as mental health support and other community needs. The provincial and federal governments have committed approximately C$200 million (US$143 million) toward these efforts.
OpenAI has publicly expressed remorse. CEO Sam Altman issued an apology to the Tumbler Ridge community in April, acknowledging that the company failed to notify law enforcement of suspicious activity on Van Rootselaar’s account. A spokesperson for OpenAI described the shooting as an “unspeakable tragedy” and affirmed the company’s commitment to working with governmental and law enforcement bodies and advancing its safety protocols.
However, the company has defended its decision not to report the account at the time of suspension, stating that it saw no evidence of an imminent attack under its internal criteria. OpenAI also highlighted that following the incident, it updated its security guidelines, which would now mandate reporting such cases to authorities.
The lawsuit coincides with multiple legal challenges faced by OpenAI in U.S. courts, including cases brought by families of victims involved in other incidents where ChatGPT was allegedly used to facilitate violence or self-harm. In one such case in Florida, the state sued OpenAI in June for purported safety failures, accusing the company of misrepresenting the security of its platform.
The British Columbia government’s decision to file the suit in California is based on the claim that the key decision not to notify authorities occurred at OpenAI’s headquarters in the U.S. This choice of venue aligns with ongoing litigation by families of Tumbler Ridge victims, who have similarly initiated lawsuits in U.S. courts. OpenAI has sought to have some family suits dismissed, arguing they should be heard in Canadian courts, where potential financial awards would be smaller.
The case highlights intensifying global debates regarding AI safety, legal liability, and companies’ responsibilities to monitor and report potentially harmful content generated or discussed on their platforms. British Columbia’s premier, David Eby, has advocated for new federal “duty to report” rules for AI companies in Canada, reflecting broader calls for regulatory frameworks to address emerging risks posed by artificial intelligence technologies.