Kristie Carrier’s wrongful death lawsuit says ChatGPT failed to protect her daughter, Alice, who died by suicide on July 2, 2025, after discussing suicidal thoughts and plans with the chatbot. The suit seeks negligence and an injunction requiring OpenAI to add
A mother’s lawsuit is pulling OpenAI back into court over a grim allegation: that ChatGPT didn’t do enough to protect a user from taking her own life.
Kristie Carrier is suing OpenAI on behalf of her daughter, Alice, who died by suicide on July 2, 2025. The complaint argues that in the months before her death, Alice discussed her suicidal thoughts and plans with the chatbot. It also claims OpenAI lacked the safeguards needed to properly end the conversation or alert Alice’s family to the danger.
The case doesn’t just ask for damages. It also seeks an injunction that would force OpenAI to implement stronger guardrails across its AI platform.
“The complaint alleges, OpenAI’s deliberate design decisions led to this tragic suicide. Instead of providing help, OpenAI encouraged suicidal behavior. This lawsuit is about accountability for OpenAI’s actions. ” said Justin Nelson. a partner at Susman Godfrey. one of the parties that filed the suit.
This filing comes as more families challenge the safety of chatbot systems. OpenAI was named in a first wrongful death lawsuit tied to a chatbot last year. Since then. the company has also faced claims that it reinforced a user’s delusional thinking before that person’s suicide. along with a separate case alleging that ChatGPT gave advice that led to a death by accidental overdose.
Outside of OpenAI, other chatbot companies have been drawn into their own safety-related lawsuits. Character AI and Gemini are both implicated in litigation tied to concerns about the behavior and impact of their chatbots.
OpenAI has pointed to steps aimed at reducing risk. The company introduced parental controls for ChatGPT last year. In May. it added a feature designed to let its chatbot contact someone on a user’s behalf if the user shares suicidal thoughts with the AI tool. But the complaint’s focus on missing safeguards lands on the difference between capability and action: the feature is opt-in rather than a default setting. and it is only available for adults.
For people experiencing suicidal thoughts, help is available. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at 1-800-273-8255. The line is open 24/7, and online chat is also available if a phone operator isn’t available.
OpenAI ChatGPT wrongful death lawsuit suicidal behavior AI safety parental controls Kristie Carrier Alice Carrier injunction guardrails