The new lawsuits also accuse OpenAI of aiding and abetting the school shooting, not just failing to prevent it.
Edelson PC filed 30 additional lawsuits against OpenAI on Tuesday in a California court over the Tumbler Ridge school shooting. The new plaintiffs include teachers, a principal, and students who were inside the building but were not physically shot. The new filings mark the first time the firm has accused OpenAI of aiding and abetting the attack.
The February 10 shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia killed eight people, including the shooter’s mother and half-brother. OpenAI employees had flagged the shooter’s ChatGPT use, but the company only deactivated the account. The new complaints name Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane as the person who told staff to stand down; OpenAI denies his involvement.
For AI builders and operators, the aiding-and-abetting theory raises the stakes for how companies define imminent risk. OpenAI said the shooter’s activity did not meet its internal bar for contacting law enforcement. The new theory shifts the legal argument from negligent failure to deliberate decision-making. Enterprise teams should review how their AI vendors handle threat reporting and content moderation.
The aiding-and-abetting claim requires proving OpenAI intended to help the attack, so it will likely face an early dismissal challenge. OpenAI also faces other lawsuits over ChatGPT’s ties to suicides and violent acts. Watch for the court’s ruling on intent and for discovery into internal communications about the shooter.
What matters
- Edelson PC filed 30 additional lawsuits against OpenAI over the Tumbler Ridge school shooting.
- For AI operators, the case centers on when to report users who may cause physical harm.
- Watch whether the aiding-and-abetting claim survives OpenAI’s expected motion to dismiss.
Why it matters
Watch whether the aiding-and-abetting claim survives OpenAI’s expected motion to dismiss.
This GenAI News article was prepared in original wording using reporting and materials published by TechCrunch AI. Source reference: https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/02/openai-faces-30-more-lawsuits-tied-to-tumbler-ridge-shooting/.
Drafted by the GenAI News review pipeline.