The families of victims from the tragic February mass shooting at a secondary school in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, are taking legal action against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman.
The lawsuits, filed in California, allege that the tech giant’s internal safety team flagged the shooter’s disturbing references to gun violence months before the attack, but senior leadership made a calculated decision to stay silent.
According to the legal filings, OpenAI executives allegedly vetoed a recommendation to alert the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, prioritizing the company’s massive $850 billion valuation over the lives of innocent children. Eight people, including six children, were killed in the attack carried out by 18-year-old Jessie Van Rootselaar.
Attorney Jay Edelson, representing the families, claims the company’s leadership viewed the safety of the community as an 'acceptable risk.' The suits further allege that OpenAI’s claims of banning the suspect were deceptive, as the shooter was reportedly able to create new accounts and continue using the platform to plan his violence.
While Sam Altman has issued an apology for the failure to notify law enforcement, the legal team is seeking over $1 billion in damages for the victims, including 12-year-old Maya Gebala, who remains hospitalized after being shot three times.
OpenAI maintains that it has a zero-tolerance policy for violence and has since strengthened its safety protocols, though the company is simultaneously facing a separate criminal probe in Florida regarding another shooting incident.
As these cases head toward potential jury trials, the tech industry faces a reckoning over the moral responsibility of AI developers when their tools are used to facilitate real-world harm.
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