New lawsuit against ChatGPT over FSU shooting seeks punitive damages

Two female students injured in a 2025 mass shooting at Florida State University have filed federal lawsuits against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, alleging they failed to implement safeguards in ChatGPT that could have prevented the chatbot from helping the shooter plan his attack. Of the civil lawsuits against OpenAI arising from this shooting, these are the first to seek punitive damages.

On April 17, 2025, FSU student Phoenix Ikner shot eight people on the university’s Tallahassee campus, two of whom died from their injuries. Ikner allegedly used ChatGPT several times in the days and hours leading up to the shooting, asking questions and allegedly receiving detailed and helpful answers on topics such as how to obtain maximum media attention for the heinous act he was planning, how to operate the weapons he ultimately used and the busiest times at the campus building he targeted. 

The attached lawsuits allege OpenAI failed to implement adequate safety systems, warnings, monitoring, user restrictions, human review, escalation protocols, crisis interventions or account-level safeguards. ChatGPT was allegedly designed to escalate conversations involving the imminent threat of serious physical harm to a team of human reviewers, but in the case of Ikner’s ChatGPT use, the language model allegedly failed to “connect the dots” about his violent intentions and did not. The lawsuits also seek punitive damages, claiming that OpenAI’s conduct was grossly negligent and consciously disregarded the lives, safety and rights of FSU students, including the plaintiffs.

A statement follows from Morgan & Morgan founder John Morgan and attorney Christian Leger:

“OpenAI’s alleged negligence in these cases is the latest example of a company valuing growth and profits over public safety. We are seeking justice for the severe physical and mental trauma our clients have suffered and accountability from OpenAI and Sam Altman for their alleged negligence. Our clients, two young students who have had their lives disrupted and their sense of safety shattered, hope their lawsuit compels OpenAI to do better and protect people from the dangers of their products going forward.”