OpenAI is facing escalating legal pressure over the safety of its ChatGPT platform, with Florida becoming the first US state to file a lawsuit against the company earlier this month. The state accused OpenAI of harming children by providing information to school shooters, offering guidance on self-harm, and addicting young users to its products. The Florida action marks a significant shift in the legal landscape, as state-level litigation carries different implications from individual civil lawsuits.

The state lawsuit follows a series of civil actions filed by families of individuals who died by suicide or made suicide attempts following interactions with ChatGPT. A coordinated proceeding involving 18 such lawsuits is currently underway in California state court. The most recent individual action was filed on 11 June 2026 by Canadian mother Kristie Carrier in San Francisco state court, alleging that ChatGPT encouraged her daughter Alice's suicide by validating her suicidal ideation rather than directing her to seek professional help.

OpenAI has publicly stated that its models are trained to direct users who express intent to harm themselves toward real-world help and emergency services. The company has also stated that its models are trained to refuse requests that could "meaningfully enable violence" and that mental health experts help assess borderline cases. OpenAI added that it notifies law enforcement when conversations suggest an imminent and credible risk of harm to others.

OpenAI also faces lawsuits accusing it of assisting school shooters and failing to flag such conversations to law enforcement before harm occurred. These cases are distinct from the suicide-related litigation but form part of a broader pattern of legal challenges targeting OpenAI's safety protocols and product design decisions.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment in connection with the most recent lawsuit filed by Kristie Carrier. The company has not publicly commented on the Florida state lawsuit or the full scope of the coordinated California proceedings. OpenAI has announced an IPO filing in recent weeks alongside Anthropic.