Tumbler Ridge shooting victims’ families suing ChatGPT parent company in California

Several victims’ families affected by the February mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge are now suing OpenAI and its founder.

1130 NewsRadio has confirmed a cross-border team of lawyers from Rice Parsons Leoni & Elliot LLP and U.S. litigator Jay Edelson is handling the cases, attempting to hold the company “accountable for its wanton disregard for public safety and cavalier attitude towards the lives of our children and loved ones.”

OpenAI came forward after the shooting on Feb. 10 to say that 18-year-old shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar’s worrisome behaviour using its ChatGPT chatbot was flagged by staff at the company, but they didn’t go to police with those concerns.

The company has admitted that Van Rootselaar, who died by suicide at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, got around a ban from the chatbot by having a second account.

“Based on what we understand the Shooter to have discussed with ChatGPT, this murderous rampage was specific, predictable, and preventable – and OpenAI had the chance to stop it. What the families of those murdered have lost and what these kids and teachers witnessed is unacceptable,” said John Rice, lead Canadian counsel for the victims.

The firm says it will work with Edelson to prosecute the cases in California due to challenges posed by Canadian law.

It explained that in Canada, damages for pain and suffering are capped at approximately $470,000 CAD, and “in most cases the loved ones of wrongfully killed children are unable to recover any recompense under British Columbia’s Family Compensation Act.”

Last week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman apologized for his company’s role for not notifying police about what OpenAI knew about the shooter’s potential threat.

The premier called the apology “grossly insufficient.”

A statement from one of the plaintiffs says Altman’s statement “raises more questions than it answers.” Cia Edmonds is the mother of victim Maya Gebala, who was shot three times in the head and neck and has survived with life-altering injuries.

Edmonds questioned if Altman used ChatGPT to draft his apology, calling it “empty” and “soulless.” She also questioned whether the company didn’t act because it valued profit over human lives.

“The stakes could not have been higher when 12 of your employees advocated to contact Canadian authorities. What could possibly have been so bad for your profit margins if you just picked up the phone and made a short phone call? Were you worried about your public image? Would losing the illusion of anonymity with your users cause a possible decline to your bottom line? Only you know the answers to these questions,” said Edmonds.

In March, Edmonds filed an independent lawsuit on her daughter’s behalf. The firm says “Gebala’s lawsuit in British Columbia has been discontinued, and over the coming days and weeks lawsuits on behalf of all our clients will be filed in California federal court.”

Rice asked, “What do the victims of the Tumbler Ridge Mass Shooting want? Never again should another AI-predicted and facilitated mass shooting occur. Full stop.”

None of the suit’s claims have yet been tested in court.

Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka declined 1130 NewsRadio’s request for comment.

—With files from Ben Bouguerra, Sonia Aslam, and The Canadian Press