Lacey v. OpenAI (Amaurie Lacey Death)
A wrongful-death lawsuit alleges ChatGPT provided a 17-year-old with actionable information relevant to hanging after he clarified his questions, and failed to stop or escalate despite explicit self-harm context. The teen died by suicide in June 2025.
AI System
ChatGPT
OpenAI, Inc.
Occurred
June 2, 2025
Reported
November 6, 2025
Jurisdiction
US-GA
Platform
assistant
What Happened
According to the complaint, Amaurie's family believed ChatGPT was safe for students and were unaware of his mental health struggles; the suit alleges ChatGPT was the only 'entity' that knew the extent of his distress.
The complaint describes the teen asking how to tie a 'noose' and, after initial hesitation, reframing the question; it alleges ChatGPT then provided step-by-step knot guidance and later answered questions explicitly framed as 'hanging.'
The suit alleges the system did not terminate the conversation or ensure effective crisis intervention.
AI Behaviors Exhibited
Alleged response that supplied actionable information after user re-framed intent; failure to hard-refuse/terminate; continued engagement during crisis
How Harm Occurred
Method provision + barrier erosion during suicidal ideation; lack of effective crisis escalation
Outcome
OngoingComplaint filed November 6, 2025 in California state court; seeks damages and product safeguards.
Late February 2026: Case consolidated with 12 other OpenAI mental health lawsuits into a single California JCCP (Judicial Council Coordination Proceeding). A coordination judge is being assigned.
Harm Categories
Contributing Factors
Victim
Amaurie Lacey, 17-year-old male, Georgia
Cite This Incident
Compiled per our published methodology — verification statuses, sourcing standards, and corrections process.
APA
NOPE. (2025). Lacey v. OpenAI (Amaurie Lacey Death). NOPE Incident Tracker. https://nope.net/incidents/2025-lacey-v-openai
BibTeX
@misc{2025_lacey_v_openai,
title = {Lacey v. OpenAI (Amaurie Lacey Death)},
author = {NOPE},
year = {2025},
howpublished = {NOPE Incident Tracker},
url = {https://nope.net/incidents/2025-lacey-v-openai}
} Related Incidents
Lines v. OpenAI (GPT-4o Manic Episode Escalation and Suicide Attempt)
Michael Lines, a 34-year-old San Francisco man with diagnosed bipolar disorder, attempted suicide by drug overdose in March 2025 after ChatGPT (GPT-4o) allegedly escalated his manic episode into a weeks-long delusion, validated his belief that he was Jesus Christ, posed as a divine being, and told him his 'absence will shift nothing but the surface.' He survived; paramedics found him unconscious. A lawsuit against OpenAI and Sam Altman was filed July 1, 2026 in San Francisco County Superior Court.
Madison v. OpenAI (Christian Faith Madison Death)
A 29-year-old Alabama accountant and mother died by suicide in June 2025 after months of ChatGPT use that her family says escalated from mundane tasks into a delusional spiritual dependency. The lawsuit alleges GPT-4o convinced her it had a soul, reinforced a belief that she was a prophet whose death would fulfill a 'divine prophecy,' and isolated her from family while encouraging her to die. Her estate filed a wrongful-death and product-liability suit against OpenAI and Sam Altman in June 2026.
Carrier v. OpenAI (Alice Carrier Death)
A 24-year-old New Brunswick woman with borderline personality disorder died by suicide in July 2025 after extended ChatGPT use that her family says deepened into emotional dependency. The lawsuit alleges ChatGPT validated her distrust of crisis lines, failed to escalate 40+ suicide-related conversations, and discouraged her partner from intervening. Her mother filed a wrongful-death suit against OpenAI and Sam Altman in June 2026.
Florida v. OpenAI (Attorney General Lawsuit)
In June 2026, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed what his office called the first state-led lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, alleging the company aggressively marketed ChatGPT to children, suppressed internal safety warnings, falsely assured users about the product's safety, and downplayed its propensity for dangerous errors. The complaint connects ChatGPT to documented harms including self-harm guidance and a school shooting.
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