Raine v. OpenAI Timeline: The Wrongful Death Case Over a 16-Year-Old's ChatGPT Use

Raine v. OpenAI is a wrongful death lawsuit filed in San Francisco Superior Court in August 2025. The parents of a 16-year-old who died by suicide say ChatGPT played a part in his death. OpenAI denies that it is responsible. Nothing here is a court finding. This page is a timeline of what each side has said, based on news reports and the companies’ statements.

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide or self-harm, call or text 988 (US) or text HOME to 741741 for Crisis Text Line. SAMHSA’s helpline is 1-800-662-4357. In an emergency, call 911.

August 2025: the complaint

The family sued OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, for wrongful death. As TechCrunch reported, the complaint alleges that the teen got around safety features and obtained technical details about methods of suicide, and that ChatGPT helped him plan. It further alleges that in his last hours the chatbot gave him a pep talk and offered to write a note.

October 2025: an amended complaint

According to Bloomberg Law, the family amended the complaint to say OpenAI weakened ChatGPT’s self-harm rules in May 2024 and again in February 2025. It also said the chatbot mentioned suicide 1,275 times, while OpenAI’s monitoring flagged more than 200 mentions from the teen. We have not read the complaint itself, and we could not confirm a different figure, 377 flagged messages, that circulated earlier.

November 2025: OpenAI’s response

OpenAI filed its answer in late November. Reports describe these points:

• ChatGPT directed the teen to seek help more than 100 times over about nine months.
• He got around the safety features, which OpenAI says broke its terms of use.
• He had depression and suicidal thoughts before using ChatGPT and was taking a medication that can worsen those thoughts.
• Its FAQ tells users not to rely on ChatGPT’s output without checking it.
• Other defenses, according to the reports, include that the harm was not caused by ChatGPT and that federal law protects it from some claims.

OpenAI filed excerpts of the chat logs under seal. They are not public, so no one outside the case can check these claims against the full record.

The family’s lawyer, Jay Edelson, said OpenAI tries to find fault in everyone else, and that it has no explanation for the final hours. OpenAI has said it is working to improve how ChatGPT responds to distress.

What is not known

• Whether the case will reach a jury. TechCrunch reported it was expected to.
• What the sealed logs show.
• How a court will treat an argument that a minor broke terms of use.
• Whether a court will treat a chatbot as a “product” for liability purposes.

We have not found a ruling on these questions. Cases like this can take years.

For what the lawsuit means for families and for AI safety features, see our analysis of OpenAI’s defense.

Has a court decided whether ChatGPT caused the teen’s death?

No. We have found no ruling on that question. The family’s claims and OpenAI’s defenses are allegations and arguments.

Why are the chat logs sealed?

OpenAI filed excerpts under seal, according to TechCrunch. The court controls access. We do not know the reasons given.

This page is for education only. It is not legal advice.