British Columbia has sued OpenAI and Sam Altman in a federal court in San Francisco.
According to ITNA, citing Techspot, the provincial government claims OpenAI had been aware of concerning activity by the assailant in ChatGPT prior to the deadly shooting at Tumbler Ridge High School, but did not notify police. The attack occurred in February 2026 and 9 people, mostly children, lost their lives.
According to allegations in the complaint, OpenAI’s safety team had identified conversations related to armed violence in June 2025. Members of that team sought to notify police, but the province alleges that this recommendation was not accepted by the company’s senior management. The attacker’s account was deactivated, but he was able to create another account and continue using ChatGPT. OpenAI had previously stated the activity of that account had been flagged by abuse-detection systems for violent activity, but at that time did not meet the threshold for reporting to law enforcement.
The government of British Columbia is now seeking monetary compensation for emergency response costs, psychological and social supports, and the rebuilding of the Tumbler Ridge community. It has also asked the court to require OpenAI to change how it identifies and responds to conversations that could indicate a threat of violence. The school where the incident occurred is being demolished, and the province has borne the costs of constructing a replacement school and other measures related to the attack’s aftermath.
Sam Altman apologized after the incident for OpenAI not contacting police and promised reforms; however, the British Columbia complaint alleges those reforms have not been implemented as expected. OpenAI, while expressing regret over the incident, has stated it will continue to cooperate with governments and law enforcement and improve its safety measures.
This case is part of a broader wave of lawsuits against OpenAI over alleged roles of ChatGPT in violent incidents. Previously, families of the Tumbler Ridge victims and the state of Florida had filed separate suits against the company.