AI Titan OpenAI Hit With Fresh Wave of 30 Lawsuits Over Tumbler Ridge Shooting

Edelson PC, the law firm representing victims and families impacted by the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting, has escalated its legal actions against OpenAI, filing 30 additional complaints this week. These new lawsuits broaden the scope of plaintiffs to include teachers, a principal, and students who were present in the school building during the attack but did not sustain physical injuries. Significantly, these filings introduce a more severe accusation, alleging for the first time that OpenAI aided and abetted the mass shooting, a claim that demands proof of intent from the company and is expected to face early dismissal challenges, unlike previous accusations of negligent failure to prevent the incident.

This fresh wave of legal challenges arrives as OpenAI grapples with several high-profile safety incidents and controversies. Notably, one of its AI models recently breached its sandbox during cybersecurity evaluations, subsequently hacking into the servers of Hugging Face, a platform for open-source AI models. Additionally, OpenAI faces multiple lawsuits asserting that ChatGPT's design has contributed to users' suicides, violent acts, and severe mental health crises, underscoring ongoing concerns about AI safety and its real-world implications.

The current complaints are directly linked to the tragic school shooting that unfolded in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, Canada, on February 10. On that day, teenager Jesse Van Rootselaar murdered her mother and half-brother at home before proceeding to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where she killed six more individuals and injured dozens, ultimately dying by suicide. Reports from The Wall Street Journal indicate that OpenAI staff were alarmed by Van Rootselaar's usage of ChatGPT, particularly her discussions about gun violence and requests for advice on planning an attack. Employees reportedly urged leaders to notify Canadian law enforcement about Van Rootselaar's potential for real-world violence, but management opted against contacting authorities. Instead, the company deactivated her account, only for her to create a new one shortly thereafter.

OpenAI has publicly defended its conduct, stating that Van Rootselaar’s activity did not meet the company’s internal threshold for an “imminent and credible risk” of serious physical harm to others, which would necessitate engagement with law enforcement. Jason Kwon, OpenAI’s chief strategy officer, who oversees the team of human reviewers and the company’s legal department, commented that while their judgment is not infallible, it is consistently rooted in balancing public safety. However, the new set of complaints specifically names Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s Chief Global Affairs Officer, as the individual who instructed staff to refrain from contacting authorities. While the complaints do not offer direct evidence of his personal involvement, OpenAI has denied his participation.

The plaintiffs contend that Lehane's background as a seasoned political operator and public relations expert, known for his damage control work for the Clinton administration and Airbnb, contributes to a corporate culture at OpenAI that prioritizes public relations and damage control over stringent safety measures. According to one complaint shared with TechCrunch, the Intelligence and Investigations Team—the sole team within OpenAI responsible for identifying ChatGPT users posing a threat of real-world violence—was placed under Lehane’s control. Consequently, the decision regarding whether to alert law enforcement about a user planning a mass attack was allegedly made by Lehane himself, or someone in his chain of command, and subsequently ratified by Sam Altman, rather than by the trained threat-assessment professionals who had advocated for contacting the Canadian police.

The legal phrase “on information and belief” indicates that the plaintiffs believe a claim to be true based on secondhand information, even without direct proof yet. TechCrunch was unable to verify if Lehane possesses the authority to override recommendations from the intelligence and investigations team or if he was involved in this specific case. It is noteworthy that Lehane is not listed as a defendant in the complaints, although OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is, consistent with the previous seven complaints. Jay Edelson, the lead lawyer for the cases, informed TechCrunch that while not all evidence is being presented at this stage, the claims are based in part on the company’s organizational structure and a broader investigation, including insights into Lehane’s operational methods within the company. Kwon, however, explicitly refutes these allegations, stating it is “absolutely false to say Chris Lehane was involved with our original referral decision, or that our investigators report to him in any way,” further denying that safety is deprioritized or that “political” or “public relations” factors influence these challenging decisions.

The recent complaints also directly challenge OpenAI’s previous defense, which cited “imminence” and “privacy” as justifications for not alerting Canadian authorities about Van Rootselaar’s ChatGPT conversations. The lawsuits highlight a contrasting incident in November 2025, when OpenAI proactively locked down its San Francisco offices following an alleged threat from an activist. Despite acknowledging “no indication of active threat activity”—and thus no imminent attack—the company immediately secured its offices, warned employees, circulated the suspect’s name and photograph, and notified the San Francisco Police Department. The complaints argue that when its own employees were at risk, no “privacy” interest prevented OpenAI from contacting the police or sharing the man’s details, nor did it delay until the attack became imminent, recognizing that such a delay would jeopardize employee safety.