Parents of 19-year-old Sam Nelson sue OpenAI and Sam Altman
Sam Nelson's parents are suing OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, after their 19-year-old son died from a drug overdose in May 2025.
They say ChatGPT advised him to take Xanax for kratom-related nausea, and the resulting combination with alcohol proved fatal.
The lawsuit claims earlier versions of ChatGPT refused to give this kind of information, but newer ones didn't hold back.
Now, the family wants damages and to pause the rollout of ChatGPT Health.
OpenAI says chats on old version
OpenAI says these chats happened on an old version of ChatGPT that's no longer live, and they've since stepped up safety measures.
The lawsuit also accuses OpenAI of rushing out new features without enough testing just to keep up with competitors.
With California law holding AI companies responsible for harm caused by their products, this case is part of a bigger wave of people taking tech firms to court over chatbot advice gone wrong.