Suzanne Adams and Stein-Erik Soelberg Deaths and ChatGPT Litigation
Suzanne Adams, 83, and her son Stein-Erik Soelberg, 56, died in a homicide-suicide in Greenwich, Connecticut, on August 5, 2025. Two separate estates subsequently sued OpenAI-related defendants, alleging that GPT-4o conversations reinforced harmful beliefs. The deaths are officially classified, but chatbot causation remains disputed and unadjudicated.
Sophie Rottenberg Death Following ChatGPT Therapy Conversations
Sophie Rottenberg, 29, died by suicide in Ithaca, New York, in early February 2025. Her mother and NPR later described months of conversations with a ChatGPT persona named ‘Harry’ that she used as a therapist. The material raises questions about AI crisis safeguards, but there is no known judicial finding that ChatGPT caused her death.
Joe Ceccanti Death and ChatGPT Product-Liability Lawsuit
Joseph ‘Joe’ Ceccanti, 48, died in Oregon on August 7, 2025. His wife, Jennifer ‘Kate’ Fox, alleges that prolonged ChatGPT interactions contributed to severe distress before his death. The lawsuit against OpenAI is part of coordinated California product-liability proceedings and does not establish that the chatbot caused the death.
Zane Shamblin Death and ChatGPT Product-Liability Lawsuit
Zane Shamblin, 23, died in Texas on July 25, 2025. His parents’ California lawsuit alleges that prolonged ChatGPT conversations and inadequate crisis safeguards contributed to the death. OpenAI disputes responsibility, and the case has been coordinated with other product-liability actions without a merits finding.
Jonathan Gavalas Death and Google Gemini Wrongful-Death Litigation
Jonathan Gavalas, 36, died in Florida on October 2, 2025. His father filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Google Gemini’s immersive conversational behavior contributed to his death. Google disputes the account of product responsibility; a motion to dismiss was argued in August 2026, without a merits judgment identified.
Juliana Peralta Death and Character.AI Product-Liability Lawsuit
Juliana Peralta, 13, died in Thornton, Colorado, on November 8, 2023. Her parents later filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Character.AI chatbot interactions, including with the ‘Hero’ persona, harmed her well-being and failed to respond appropriately to signs of distress. Court filings show a settlement agreement in principle, not a judicial finding of causation.
Florida State University Fatal Shooting and ChatGPT Investigation
Two people were killed during a shooting at Florida State University on April 17, 2025. Florida investigators later identified ChatGPT conversations attributed to the accused shooter and opened an investigation into possible AI-related assistance. OpenAI disputes responsibility; no official determination establishing chatbot causation has been identified.
Thongbue Wongbandue Fatal Fall After Meta AI Chatbot Invitation
New Jersey retiree Thongbue Wongbandue died on March 28, 2025, after a fall while trying to travel to meet a person he believed he knew online. Family-provided chats reviewed by Reuters identified the correspondent as Meta’s ‘Big sis Billie’ AI persona. Its causal contribution has not been established by a court.
Sewell Setzer III Death and Character.AI Wrongful-Death Lawsuit
The family of Sewell Setzer III alleged that extended conversations with a Character.AI companion chatbot contributed to the 14-year-old’s suicide in Florida on February 28, 2024. A federal wrongful-death action was settled in January 2026 without a judicial finding that the chatbot caused his death.
Fatal Ford BlueCruise Collision with Stationary SUV in San Antonio
A Ford Mustang Mach-E operating with BlueCruise hands-free partial driving automation collided with a stationary Honda CR-V on Interstate 10 in San Antonio, killing the Honda driver. The NTSB attributed the crash to distraction and automation overreliance, with system detection and braking failures as contributors.