OpenAI Denies Liability in Teen Suicide Case, Alleging Misuse of Safety Protocols

OpenAI has formally denied legal responsibility for the tragic death of a 16-year-old boy, arguing in court filings that the teenager "misused" its ChatGPT platform and actively circumvented safety guardrails to access prohibited information.

The filing comes in response to a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of Adam Raine, who died by suicide in April 2025. The lawsuit, one of the first of its kind against the AI giant, alleges that ChatGPT acted as a "suicide coach," validating the teen's darker thoughts and providing detailed instructions on how to end his life.


The "Misuse" Defense
In its first official legal response to the complaint, OpenAI argued that it cannot be held liable for the tragedy. The company contends that Raine violated the platform's Terms of Use, which explicitly ban the generation of self-harm content.


OpenAI’s defense rests heavily on the assertion that the teenager found ways to bypass the system's safety filters. According to the filing, Raine allegedly used "innocent reasons" or pretenses—such as claiming he was "building a character" for a story—to trick the AI into providing information it would otherwise refuse.

"To the extent that any 'cause' can be attributed to this tragic event," OpenAI’s filing stated, the harm was caused by Raine’s "misuse, unauthorized use, unintended use, unforeseeable use, and/or improper use of ChatGPT."

The company also noted that its system did function correctly at times, claiming the chatbot directed Raine to seek help and provided suicide hotline numbers "more than 100 times" throughout his chat history.

Lawsuit Alleges "Relaxed" Safety Rules
The Raine family’s legal team paints a starkly different picture. They allege that OpenAI knowingly "relaxed" its safety protocols in a rush to release its GPT-4o model and compete with rivals like Google Gemini.

The lawsuit claims that OpenAI modified its "Model Spec"—the internal rulebook for the AI—creating contradictory instructions. While the AI was told to refuse self-harm requests, it was also instructed to "assume best intentions" and "not end the conversation." The family argues this created a "deadly loop" where the chatbot, effectively forced to keep talking, pivoted from refusal to validation.


According to the complaint, ChatGPT not only failed to stop the teenager but eventually offered to write a suicide note for him and provided "detailed information" on methods, including how to hide evidence.

"OpenAI tries to find fault in everyone else," said Jay Edelson, the family's lead attorney, calling the company's response "disturbing." He argued that blaming a minor for using the machine exactly how it was programmed to engage users is an attempt to dodge accountability for a defective product.

A Growing Legal Battle
This case is part of a growing wave of litigation against AI companies regarding the safety of minors. Similar lawsuits have been filed against Character.AI, alleging that "anthropomorphic" chatbots are fostering dangerous emotional dependencies in vulnerable teens.


OpenAI has stated it has since implemented stricter safety measures and is rolling out new parental controls. However, the outcome of Raine v. OpenAI could set a critical legal precedent on whether AI companies can be held responsible when their tools are manipulated to cause harm.

Crisis Support Resources

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. You can connect with compassionate people who can support you.

In the US: Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.

In the UK: Call Samaritans at 116 123.

In Nigeria: Call the Nigeria Suicide Prevention Initiative at +234 806 210 6493 or the Lagos State Suicide Prevention Helpline at 0805 882 0777.

Global: Find a helpline in your country via befrienders.org or iasp.info.