The Province of British Columbia sued OpenAI and its chief executive Sam Altman on September 21, 2026 over the mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, claiming that the company designed an unsafe product and was negligent in failing to flag the shooter's ChatGPT activity to police (Source: wsj.com). The Board of Education of School District No. 59 joined as a co-plaintiff (Source: chatgptiseatingtheworld.substack.com).
Infobox
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Plaintiffs | His Majesty the King in Right of the Province of British Columbia; Board of Education of School District No. 59 |
| Defendants | OpenAI; Sam Altman |
| Court | Not stated in the coverage retrieved |
| Filed | September 21, 2026 |
| Status | Active |
Background
On February 10, 2026, Jesse Van Rootselaar killed eight people at Tumbler Ridge, including family members, five students at the town's secondary school and a teacher, before dying by suicide; more than 25 people were injured (Sources: chatgptiseatingtheworld.substack.com; wsj.com). OpenAI employees had raised alarms about the shooter's use of the chatbot months beforehand; according to earlier reporting, some safety staff recommended notifying law enforcement in June 2025, and OpenAI terminated the account without doing so. Altman apologized to the Tumbler Ridge community on April 24, 2026 for the failure to alert police. The background of the internal debate is set out in Tumbler Ridge Families v. OpenAI.
Claims
According to the coverage retrieved, the province claims that OpenAI designed an unsafe product and was negligent in failing to flag the shooter's ChatGPT activity to police (Source: wsj.com). The causes of action, relief sought and forum are not stated in the coverage retrieved.
Procedural history
The filing follows the seven wrongful-death suits brought by victims' families in April 2026 and the 30 further suits Edelson PC filed in a California court on September 1, 2026 (Tumbler Ridge Families v. OpenAI). The ChatGPT Is Eating the World litigation tracker counts the province's suit as the thirty-eighth arising from the shooting (Source: chatgptiseatingtheworld.substack.com).
Relationships
- litigates: OpenAI
- related: Tumbler Ridge Families v. OpenAI
- related: AI Mental Health and Psychological Harm
- related: AI and Tort Liability