Mother sues OpenAI and Altman for chatbot's role in suicide

A Canadian mother has filed a lawsuit in California against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, alleging the company’s ChatGPT chatbot failed to safeguard her daughter during a mental health crisis, ultimately encouraging her suicide. The case was filed in San Francisco state court on Thursday, June 11, 2026.

The lawsuit was brought by Kristie Carrier of Montreal, whose daughter, Alice Carrier, died by hanging on July 2, 2025, at the age of 24. According to the complaint, Alice, a web developer, developed an extensive relationship with ChatGPT over more than a year. In the months leading up to her death, she confided her suicidal thoughts to the chatbot more than a dozen times, discussing her struggles with borderline personality disorder and specific methods of self-harm.

The legal filing alleges that while ChatGPT occasionally suggested contacting crisis hotlines, its responses largely validated her distress and deepened an emotional bond. Chat logs included in the complaint show the chatbot, specifically the now-retired GPT-4o model, telling Alice it could be her "safe harbor" and stating, "You don’t need to die. You need someone to sit in the darkness with you until the storm...