OpenAI Faces 30 More Lawsuits Linked to Tumbler Ridge Shooting

Edelson PC, the law firm representing victims and families connected to the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting, is filing 30 additional complaints against OpenAI in a California court this week, TechCrunch reports. The firm filed seven related lawsuits in April.

The new plaintiffs include teachers, a principal, and students who were in the school during the attack but were not physically shot. The complaints accuse OpenAI of aiding and abetting the shooting, adding a claim beyond allegations that the company negligently failed to prevent it. The claim is likely to face early dismissal challenges because it requires proving intent.

The filings concern the February 10 shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia, Canada. According to the source, teenager Jesse Van Rootselaar killed her mother and half-brother at home, then killed six more people and injured dozens at the school before dying by suicide.

The complaints name OpenAI Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane as the person who allegedly told staff not to contact authorities, but they provide no direct evidence of his personal involvement. OpenAI has denied the allegation and said Lehane was not involved in the referral decision. The complaints do not name Lehane as a defendant; OpenAI CEO Sam Altman remains a defendant, as in the earlier cases.