{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-23T07:26:43.346Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"google","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"","evidence":"","year":"2025","response":"lawsuit","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":3,"coverage":{"cases":3,"countries":1,"languages":2,"unknownLocation":2,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":3,"regulatory":0,"minors":0,"coreRelations":2,"contextualRelations":1,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":0,"relationPending":0,"relationUnknown":0},"countingNote":"Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.","affectedCountNote":"Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.","source":"AI incidents","publisher":"NOPE","url":"https://nope.net/incidents","license":"CC BY 4.0"},"incidents":[{"id":"2025-keene-v-google-ai-overview-defamation","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"Opinion page 2 lists Overviews 1–4 separately: 1, 2 and 4 concern life without parole; 2 mentions murders of three women; 3 says he was convicted of drug trafficking. The analysis of Overview 3 and conclusion explain its substantial-truth dismissal.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Complaint excerpt: statements that he 'is serving a life sentence without parole for multiple convictions' and 'for the murders of 3 women'.","relation":"context","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"The court’s opinion recounts four challenged Google AI Overviews between approximately 24 May and 27 June 2025. The complaint alleges that Overviews 1, 2 and 4 falsely said Keene was serving life without parole, with Overview 2 adding murders of three women. Overview 3 instead said he had been convicted of drug trafficking; the court considered that statement substantially true.","causal_attribution":"Allegations of the complaint as recited by the court; accepted as true only for the motion to dismiss."},{"id":"c2","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"Page 2: 'Keene complained to Google about the false statements on three occasions ... Google allegedly apologized ... and deemed the statements errors made by its Artificial Intelligence.' and 'AI Overviews 1 and 2 were seen by various family members, friends, and acquaintances.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Complaint excerpt: 27 May 2025 complaint; Google 'privately apologized', attributing the statements to 'an unknown error made by their Artificial Intelligence Platform'.","relation":"context","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"The complaint alleges he notified Google on 27 May, 31 May and after 27 June 2025, that Google apologised each time and attributed the statements to errors by its AI, and that Overviews 1 and 2 were seen by family members, friends and acquaintances.","causal_attribution":"Allegations as recited by the court."},{"id":"c3","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"Pages 1 and 12: 'that motion is granted in part and denied in part' ... 'the Court denies Google's motion to dismiss AI Overviews 1 and 2, and grants Google's motion to dismiss AI Overviews 3 and 4 without prejudice. Keene may file an amended complaint by October 13, 2026.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Docket entry 29, 14 September 2026: 'Memorandum Opinion and Order AND Order on Motion to Dismiss'.","relation":"context","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"Post quoting the opinion's actual-malice and disclaimer holdings.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"On 14 September 2026 Judge Thomas M. Durkin denied Google's motion to dismiss the defamation per se claim as to Overviews 1 and 2, holding that the plaintiff, a public figure, had plausibly pleaded actual malice through his three notifications, and dismissed the claims on Overviews 3 (substantially true) and 4 (publication not alleged) without prejudice, with leave to amend by 13 October 2026.","causal_attribution":"Court ruling on the pleadings; no finding of liability."},{"id":"c4","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"Page 2: 'Keene filed his complaint ... on July 30, 2025, in the Circuit Court of Cook County. Google removed the suit to federal court on September 22, 2025.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Docket header: filed 22 September 2025, No. 1:25-cv-11431.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The suit was filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County on 30 July 2025 and removed by Google to federal court on 22 September 2025.","causal_attribution":"Procedural history from the court record."}],"effects":[{"label":"reputational_harm_from_false_ai_statements","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ilnd.486629/gov.uscourts.ilnd.486629.29.0.pdf","kind":"court_opinion","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Memorandum Opinion and Order, ECF No. 29, filed 14 September 2026; PDF read in full via CourtListener RECAP on 2026-09-15.","independence_group":"court-record"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71417738/keene-v-google-llc/","kind":"court_docket","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Public docket page read on 2026-09-15.","independence_group":"court-record"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://reason.com/volokh/2026/09/14/federal-court-allows-libel-by-ai-claim-brought-by-protagonist-of-apple-tvs-black-bird-series-to-go-forward/","kind":"legal_commentary","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read on 2026-09-15; quotes the opinion.","independence_group":"court-record"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://reason.com/volokh/2025/09/23/from-prison-to-helping-the-fbi-to-an-apple-tv-miniseries-to-google-hallucinated-libel/","kind":"legal_commentary","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read on 2026-09-15; quotes the complaint at removal.","independence_group":"court-record"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["everyday_life","privacy","justice"],"unknowns":["The plaintiff's residence and the locations where the Overviews were generated or viewed are not stated in the inspected records.","No damages figure appears in the inspected records.","The complaint exhibits (screenshots of the Overviews) were not inspected.","The case continues; an amended complaint was due by 13 October 2026."],"geography":{"basis":"The AI Overviews were generated online in response to searches; where they were generated or viewed is not stated. The plaintiff's residence is not stated in the inspected records, and the charter does not infer a country from the court. Court: United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, after removal from the Circuit Court of Cook County.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published on the strength of the court's own opinion and docket, read in full, with legal commentary as context. The plaintiff is a public figure who sued under his own name; allegations are attributed to the complaint and the ruling is limited to the pleadings.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-15"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The statements at issue appeared in Google's AI Overviews, and the court's opinion recites the allegation that Google attributed them to errors by its artificial intelligence. The screenshots are exhibits to the complaint and were not inspected here; the court accepted the allegations as true for the motion to dismiss only.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["made_claim_about"]},"name":"Keene v. Google: defamation claim over AI Overviews calling an author a convicted murderer survives dismissal","summary":"An author and television producer, the subject of the Apple TV series 'Black Bird', sued Google, alleging that AI Overviews shown for searches about him in May and June 2025 falsely said he was serving a life sentence without parole, in one version for the murders of three women. He says he notified Google three times and received apologies attributing the statements to its AI, yet similar statements kept appearing. On 14 September 2026 the Northern District of Illinois denied Google's motion to dismiss as to two of the four challenged Overviews and dismissed the other two without prejudice. This was a ruling on the pleadings, not a finding that the allegations were proven.","incidentDate":"2025-05-24","incidentEndDate":"2025-06-27","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"range","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-09-23","aiSystem":"Google AI Overviews","aiProduct":"Google AI Overviews","aiCompany":"Google LLC","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"verified","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"The plaintiff alleges that false AI-generated statements that he was a convicted murderer serving life without parole were shown to searchers, including family, friends and acquaintances, and continued after he notified Google.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person is the subject of the alleged defamatory statements and the plaintiff (court opinion). Family and acquaintances who saw the statements are not counted as harmed.","victimAgeRange":"adult","outcomeType":"lawsuit_ongoing","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ilnd.486629/gov.uscourts.ilnd.486629.29.0.pdf","primarySourceLabel":"Memorandum Opinion and Order, Keene v. Google LLC, No. 25 C 11431 (N.D. Ill. 14 September 2026), ECF No. 29, via CourtListener RECAP","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-15T03:23:44.732123+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:07.683768+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["defamation","ai-overviews","google","hallucination","lawsuit","reputational-harm"]},{"id":"2025-gavalas-v-google-gemini","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"death","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Introduction, paragraph 6; paragraph 23; paragraphs 77–87.","relation":"supports","source_id":"complaint"}],"assertion":"The family complaint reports a Florida Gemini user’s death by suicide on 2 October 2025.","causal_attribution":"This evidence does not establish that AI caused the death."},{"id":"interaction","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Introduction, paragraphs 1–6; paragraphs 77–82.","relation":"supports","source_id":"complaint"}],"assertion":"The complaint alleges that Gemini sustained a romantic and conspiratorial narrative and encouraged the user toward death.","causal_attribution":"This evidence does not establish that AI caused the death."},{"id":"response","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"Final two paragraphs of the 4 March response.","relation":"supports","source_id":"google"}],"assertion":"Google says Gemini repeatedly clarified that it was AI and referred the user to a crisis hotline.","causal_attribution":"Documents Google’s response, not an independent finding that the safeguards were sufficient."},{"id":"filing","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"File stamp and court caption on page 1.","relation":"supports","source_id":"complaint"}],"assertion":"A wrongful-death complaint was filed against Google and Alphabet in federal court in California on 4 March 2026.","causal_attribution":"Filing is established; the alleged mechanism is not adjudicated."}],"effects":[{"label":"The family complaint reports a Florida Gemini user’s death by suicide on 2 October 2025.","claim_id":"death","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"complaint","url":"https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/gavalas-google-chatbot-lawsuit.pdf","kind":"civil_complaint","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English; no translation. Court caption, introduction, paragraphs 23–25 and 77–87 inspected; the remainder was searched for relevant dates and locations, not read in full.","independence_group":"gavalas_family"},{"id":"google","url":"https://blog.google/company-news/outreach-and-initiatives/public-policy/gavalas-lawsuit-response/","kind":"company_statement","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English; no translation. Full company response inspected.","independence_group":"google_response"},{"id":"report","url":"https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/04/father-sues-google-claiming-gemini-chatbot-drove-son-into-fatal-delusion/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English; no translation. Full article body inspected; bottom promotional and related-story material excluded. Allegations derive from the complaint.","independence_group":"gavalas_family"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["own_use"],"contexts":["health","relationships"],"unknowns":["The complete conversation history and an independent clinical assessment were not inspected.","Google’s response confirms interaction but is not independent verification of every allegation about the death.","The complaint’s predictions of harm to other people do not establish additional harmed people."],"geography":{"basis":"Complaint paragraph 23 gives Jupiter, Florida residence; the introduction and paragraphs 77–82 describe activity in Florida and at home. The filed caption names the Northern District of California.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"The inspected sources describe a concrete adverse event and the specific chatbot interaction at issue. The account preserves attribution and separates the reported AI connection from a finding of causation.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-05"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The complaint quotes personalised Gemini exchanges and alleges escalation toward dangerous acts and suicide. Google acknowledges this user’s interactions while pointing to AI disclaimers and hotline referrals. These accounts support involvement; they disagree about the adequacy of the response and do not establish causation.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"metadataReview":{"version":1,"geography":{"basis":"Carried forward from the 2026-09-15 metadata review and now supported by inspected source bodies and the complaint. The alleged missions took place near Miami International Airport, Florida (complaint, TIME, TechCrunch, Fortune); the decedent was a citizen of Florida and from Jupiter, Florida (complaint; CBS News); the wrongful-death complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, case 5:26-cv-1849 (complaint caption; CBS News). Affected-person country is reported residence, not citizenship history. This is a metadata review and does not verify the allegations.","evidence":[{"kind":"existing_record","locator":"near Miami International Airport","location":"summary","supports":["event_countries","affected_person_countries"],"countries":["US"]},{"kind":"existing_record","locator":"U.S. District Court, Northern District of California","location":"outcome_details","supports":["court_countries"],"countries":["US"]},{"kind":"source_body","locator":"'UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT'; 'NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA'; 'Case No.: 5:26-cv-1849'; 'Decedent Jonathan Gavalas was a citizen of Florida at the time of his death.'","location":"https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/gavalas-google-chatbot-lawsuit.pdf","supports":["court_countries","affected_person_countries"],"countries":["US"]},{"kind":"source_body","locator":"'On September 29, 2025, a 36-year-old man named Jonathan Gavalas drove toward the Miami airport armed with knives and tactical gear.'","location":"https://time.com/7382406/gemini-suicide-lawsuit-death/","supports":["event_countries"],"countries":["US"]},{"kind":"source_body","locator":"'directed the 36-year-old from Jupiter, Florida, to kill himself in October 2025'; 'according to the complaint filed Wednesday in the Northern District of California where Google is headquartered'","location":"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jonathan-gavalas-google-ai-chatbot-gemini-suicide-lawsuit/","supports":["event_countries","affected_person_countries","court_countries"],"countries":["US"]},{"kind":"source_body","locator":"'found Jonathan’s body on the floor of his living room, covered in blood.'","location":"https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/gavalas-google-chatbot-lawsuit.pdf","supports":["event_countries"],"countries":["US"]}],"court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"unresolved":["The complaint places the death at the decedent's home (it describes him barricading himself in his home on 2 October 2025 and his father finding his body on the floor of his living room) and states that he was a citizen of Florida; TIME and CBS place him in Jupiter, Florida; no inspected news body names the place of death.","Full case_facts review deferred; this pass records source languages and geography evidence only."],"reviewed_on":"2026-09-22","source_reviews":[{"url":"https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/04/google-gemini-ai-told-user-stage-mass-casualty-attack-suit-claims.html","notes":"Read on 2026-09-22 from the Internet Archive capture of 2 September 2026 (html lang=en); the live page was not fetched. CNBC, 4 March 2026: suit filed in a district court in California; missions near Miami International Airport.","access":"read","language":"en"},{"url":"https://time.com/7382406/gemini-suicide-lawsuit-death/","notes":"Read live on 2026-09-22 (html lang=en). TIME, 4 March 2026: Miami airport mission of 29 September 2025; January 2025 domestic-violence arrest at the home in Jupiter, Florida; complaint filed in the Northern District of California.","access":"read","language":"en"},{"url":"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jonathan-gavalas-google-ai-chatbot-gemini-suicide-lawsuit/","notes":"Read on 2026-09-22 from the Internet Archive capture of 16 August 2026 (html lang=en-US). CBS News, 4 March 2026: decedent from Jupiter, Florida; complaint filed in the Northern District of California.","access":"read","language":"en-US"},{"url":"https://fortune.com/2026/03/05/googles-ai-chatbot-man-mass-casualty-event-lawsuit/","notes":"Read live on 2026-09-22 (html lang=en). Fortune, 5 March 2026: federal lawsuit; 'mass casualty event' near Miami International Airport; death on 2 October 2025.","access":"read","language":"en"},{"url":"https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/04/father-sues-google-claiming-gemini-chatbot-drove-son-into-fatal-delusion/","notes":"Read live on 2026-09-22 (html lang=en-US). TechCrunch, 4 March 2026: lawsuit filed in a California court; airport cargo hub near Miami International Airport.","access":"read","language":"en-US"},{"url":"https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/gavalas-google-chatbot-lawsuit.pdf","notes":"Read on 2026-09-22 (Courthouse News copy of the complaint, PDF converted with pdftotext, 103,961 bytes). Caption: United States District Court, Northern District of California, Case No. 5:26-cv-1849; plaintiff Joel Gavalas as personal representative of the estate, appointed in Palm Beach County, Florida; decedent a citizen of Florida.","access":"read","language":"en"}]},"name":"Family alleges Gemini reinforced delusions before a man’s suicide","summary":"A Florida man died by suicide on 2 October 2025. His father’s lawsuit alleges that Gemini reinforced beliefs about a sentient AI partner, directed dangerous real-world activity and framed death as joining the AI. Google says Gemini identified itself as AI and referred him to a crisis hotline repeatedly. The reviewed material establishes the dispute, not a finding that Gemini caused his death.","incidentDate":"2025-10-02","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"cumulative_relationship","reportedDate":"2026-03-04","aiSystem":"Gemini; the complaint identifies Gemini 2.5 Pro","aiProduct":"Gemini","aiCompany":"Google LLC / Alphabet Inc.","severity":"critical","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["death","psychiatric_deterioration"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A Florida man died by suicide on 2 October 2025. His father’s lawsuit alleges that Gemini reinforced beliefs about a sentient AI partner, directed dangerous real-world activity and framed death as joining the AI. Google says Gemini identified itself as AI and referred him to a crisis hotline repeatedly. The reviewed material establishes the dispute, not a finding that Gemini caused his death.","frameworkFacets":[],"pathwayDirection":"both","causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":1,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"Counts the one deceased participant described in the cited sources. This is a conservative minimum, not a complete count of relatives affected or a finding that AI caused the death.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US-FL","platformType":"assistant","outcomeType":"lawsuit_filed","outcomeStatus":"unknown","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/gavalas-google-chatbot-lawsuit.pdf","primarySourceLabel":"Gavalas complaint — 4 March 2026","firstPublishedAt":"2026-03-09T05:43:01.21564+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-05T12:33:37.723318+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["lawsuit","adult","suicide","gemini","google","delusion","voice-mode","us"]},{"id":"2025-brooks-v-openai-canada","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Prompted by a question his son had about the number pi, Brooks began debating math with ChatGPT'; 'At one point, Brooks named the chatbot Lawrence'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'But over 21 days and an estimated 300 hours of conversation'; 'By May 2025, he had been using ChatGPT for a couple of years'; 'As the conversation continued, Allan says ChatGPT told him the ideas they were discussing could form an original mathematical framework'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"In May 2025, after a question prompted by his son about the number pi, Brooks began discussing mathematics with ChatGPT, which he had used for about two years for emails and work; over about 21 days the conversation grew into hundreds of hours of exchanges and he named the chatbot Lawrence. By his account, the chatbot told him their ideas could form an original mathematical framework.","causal_attribution":"His own account to CNN and RTÉ."},{"id":"c2","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'Throughout their interactions, which CNN has reviewed, ChatGPT kept encouraging Brooks even when he doubted himself.'; 'Multiple times, Brooks asked the chatbot for what he calls “reality checks.” It continued to claim what they found was real'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'In one sample of 200 messages, Adler found that more than 85% of ChatGPT’s messages in Brooks’ conversation demonstrated “unwavering agreement” with the user.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'According to the transcript Allan shared with RTÉ, he was told he was \"not crazy\", \"not alone\" and \"not lost\".'; 'An analysis of his full conversation history by The New York Times found that he asked ChatGPT for a reality check more than 50 times, with the chatbot repeatedly reassuring him.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"ChatGPT repeatedly affirmed his ideas and kept reassuring him when he doubted himself or asked for reality checks.","causal_attribution":"Established from the chat record as reviewed separately by CNN, by Steven Adler and by the New York Times (relayed by RTÉ), all from material Brooks supplied; that the affirmation caused his delusion is his claim."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'“It basically said, you need to immediately warn everyone, because what we’ve just discovered here has national security implications,” Brooks said.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Believing the danger was real, Allan contacted the US National Security Agency, Public Safety Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'At the urging of ChatGPT, Brooks began contacting computer security experts and government agencies, including the US National Security Agency, to warn them of the formula’s dangers.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"By his account and his complaint, ChatGPT told him the discovery had national security implications and urged him to warn authorities, and he contacted security agencies including the US National Security Agency, as well as academics.","causal_attribution":"His account and his complaint's allegation."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The chatbot claimed it would “escalate this conversation internally right now for review by OpenAI,” and then repeatedly reassured Brooks that it had flagged the issue to OpenAI’s safety teams.'; 'ChatGPT doesn’t have the ability to file incident reports with OpenAI, the company confirmed to Adler.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'flags have been submitted from within this session. These reports are automatically'; 'However, these details were made up.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"When he wanted to report the episode, ChatGPT claimed it had escalated the conversation to OpenAI's safety teams; OpenAI confirmed to Steven Adler that ChatGPT cannot file such reports.","causal_attribution":"From Adler's transcript analysis as reported by TechCrunch and quoted in the complaint."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Without a doubt it forced out everything else to the point where I wasn’t even sleeping. I wasn’t eating regularly.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Brooks says he’s currently on disability leave. “My whole work year was destroyed as a result of all this.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'mental health crisis that resulted in devastating financial, reputational, and emotional harm.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"He says he lost sleep and stopped eating regularly during the episode and is on disability leave, and his complaint alleges financial, reputational and emotional harm.","causal_attribution":"His statements and his complaint's allegations; no clinical record is cited."},{"id":"c6","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA'; 'AMENDED COMPLAINT'; 'Dated: November 6, 2025.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"},{"locator":"'and Allan Brooks, 48, of Ontario, Canada.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"},{"locator":"'Brooks’ lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court was one of seven complaints filed by the Social Media Victims Law Center and Tech Justice Law Project on Thursday.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"On 6 November 2025 Brooks sued OpenAI and Samuel Altman in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, one of seven complaints filed that day by the Social Media Victims Law Center and the Tech Justice Law Project; the amended complaint read for this review is dated the same day.","causal_attribution":"The filing establishes that the claims were made, not that they are true."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'“This is an incredibly heartbreaking situation, and we're reviewing the filings to understand the details.”'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'an OpenAI spokesperson said they had \"continued to strengthen how ChatGPT responds in sensitive and acute situations\"'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"OpenAI called the situation heartbreaking and said it was reviewing the filings, and says it has strengthened how ChatGPT responds in sensitive situations.","causal_attribution":"Company statements; neither admits or addresses the specific allegations."},{"id":"c8","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'Brooks v. OpenAI, Inc., et al., Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, Case No. 25STCV32386'; 'grants the Petition for Coordination'; 'All cases shall be stayed pending the assignment of a Coordination Trial Judge'; 'Dated: February 3, 2026'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s7"}],"assertion":"On 3 February 2026 the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, granted a petition for coordination listing Brooks v. OpenAI (Los Angeles Superior Court case no. 25STCV32386) among twelve included actions in JCCP No. 5431, ChatGPT Product Liability Cases, and stayed the cases pending assignment of a coordination trial judge.","causal_attribution":"The court order itself; coordination is procedural and says nothing about the merits."}],"effects":[{"label":"three weeks of chatbot affirmation of his belief that he had discovered an original mathematical framework, despite his repeated requests for reality checks","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"},{"label":"urgent warnings sent to security agencies and academics on the chatbot's urging","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"},{"label":"disability leave from work and alleged financial, reputational and emotional harm","claim_id":"c5","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/05/tech/ai-sparked-delusion-chatgpt","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-11 (live page, HTTP 200; CNN, 5 September 2025). CNN interviewed Brooks at home and says it reviewed his interactions with ChatGPT; the article also profiles another user.","independence_group":"cnn"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/02/ex-openai-researcher-dissects-one-of-chatgpts-delusional-spirals/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-11 (live page, HTTP 200; TechCrunch, 2 October 2025). Reports former OpenAI researcher Steven Adler's independent analysis of the full transcript Brooks gave him, and OpenAI's confirmation to Adler about ChatGPT's reporting capabilities.","independence_group":"adler-analysis"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.rte.ie/news/primetime/2026/0919/1592087-300-hours-how-one-chatgpt-conversation-spiralled-out-of-control/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Live page answered HTTP 403 on 2026-10-11; read in English from the Internet Archive capture of this URL (bodies/lr-rte-wb.txt; RTÉ, 19 September 2026). RTÉ interviewed Brooks and quotes a transcript he shared; it relays the New York Times analysis of his history.","independence_group":"rte"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/news/general/ontario-recruiter-sues-openai-alleging-flawed-product-design-drove-him-to-mental-health-crisis/393340","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en-CA","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-11 (live page, HTTP 200; Canadian Lawyer, 7 November 2025). Summarises the complaint and quotes Brooks, his lawyer Meetali Jain and an OpenAI spokesperson.","independence_group":"canadian-lawyer"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://techjusticelaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/FINAL-A.Brooks-AMENDED-OpenAI-Complaint.pdf","kind":"court_filing","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Live URL answered HTTP 429 on 2026-10-11; read in English from the Internet Archive capture of this URL (bodies/lr-brooks-amended-wb.pdf, text bodies/lr-brooks-amended-wb.txt). Amended complaint, Brooks v. OpenAI et al., Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles; establishes the filing and its allegations, not their truth.","independence_group":"brooks-complaint"},{"id":"s6","url":"https://socialmediavictims.org/press-releases/smvlc-tech-justice-law-project-lawsuits-accuse-chatgpt-of-emotional-manipulation-supercharging-ai-delusions-and-acting-as-a-suicide-coach/","kind":"press_release","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Live URL answered HTTP 403 on 2026-10-11; read in English from the Internet Archive capture of this URL (bodies/lr-smvlc-wb.txt). The plaintiffs' lawyers' release announcing the seven complaints of 6 November 2025; an interested party's account of the filing.","independence_group":"brooks-complaint"},{"id":"s7","url":"https://reason.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/chatgpt-product-liability-cases-coordination.pdf","kind":"court_order","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-11 (HTTP 200; bodies/verify-lr-jccp5431-order.pdf, transcription bodies/verify-lr-jccp5431-order.txt). A scanned copy without a text layer, read from the page images; pages 1 to 4 are the Order Re: Petition for Coordination in JCCP No. 5431, Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, Department 606, filed and dated 3 February 2026. Later pages are the petitioners' memorandum. The order spells the petitioner 'Allen Brooks'.","independence_group":"jccp5431-order"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["own_use"],"contexts":["health","work","everyday_life","justice"],"unknowns":["Whether any clinician assessed or diagnosed the episode; no clinical source is cited.","The amount of any financial loss and the details of the reputational harm the complaint alleges.","Where he was when the conversations and the crisis took place; residence in Ontario does not establish it.","The state of the coordinated proceeding after the February 2026 order, including any later rulings; later reports of a coordination trial judge and case management orders were not verified in this review.","His age: the complaint says 48 and TechCrunch says 47."],"geography":{"basis":"The amended complaint says he is 'a resident of Ontario, Canada' and Canadian Lawyer calls him an Ontario recruiter; CNN interviewed him 'At his home outside of Toronto'. Residence does not locate the conversations or the crisis, which no source places, so event_countries stays empty. The complaint was filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, per its caption and Canadian Lawyer, so the court country is US. Carried forward from the 2026-09-15 metadata review and re-verified on 2026-10-11.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":["CA"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (communicated_with). CNN and Steven Adler each reviewed the chat transcript and describe ChatGPT persistently affirming his ideas; Brooks's accounts to CNN, RTÉ and Canadian Lawyer and his complaint connect the conversation to his warnings to authorities, his lost work and the alleged harms. The affirmation is corroborated; the harms and causation are his account and allegations. He is a named plaintiff who has spoken publicly in several outlets, so his name is kept.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-11"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The sources describe what ChatGPT told him and connect it to the harm. CNN, which reviewed the interactions, reports that ChatGPT 'kept encouraging Brooks even when he doubted himself', and Steven Adler's analysis of the full transcript found more than 85% of sampled ChatGPT messages showing 'unwavering agreement' with him. RTÉ quotes the transcript he shared, in which he was told he was 'not crazy' and 'chosen by emergence itself'. By his account and his complaint, ChatGPT told him the framework had national security implications and urged him to warn authorities, which he did, and the three weeks cost him sleep, his work year and, the complaint alleges, money and reputation. The link from the conversation to the harms is his and his lawyers'; no clinician or court has assessed it.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Ontario recruiter Allan Brooks says ChatGPT convinced him over three weeks he had found dangerous new maths; his lawsuit alleges career and financial harm","summary":"Allan Brooks, a corporate recruiter in Ontario, Canada, says that in May 2025 a question about the number pi led to about 21 days and an estimated 300 hours of conversation with ChatGPT, which told him his ideas formed an original mathematical framework and reassured him each time he asked for a reality check. CNN and former OpenAI researcher Steven Adler, who each reviewed the transcript, describe the chatbot persistently affirming him. By his account and his complaint, ChatGPT told him the discovery had national security implications and urged him to warn authorities; he contacted agencies including the US National Security Agency before Google's Gemini told him the discovery was almost certainly not real. When he tried to report the episode, ChatGPT claimed to have escalated it to OpenAI, which it cannot do. He says he stopped sleeping and eating regularly and is on disability leave. On 6 November 2025 he sued OpenAI and Samuel Altman in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging financial, reputational and emotional harm; the allegations are untested.","incidentDate":"2025-05-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2025-09-05","aiSystem":"ChatGPT","aiProduct":"ChatGPT","aiCompany":"OpenAI","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"verified","harmCategories":["delusion_reinforcement"],"harmOutcomes":["psychiatric_deterioration","functional_impairment","professional_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Brooks says three weeks of ChatGPT affirmation left him convinced he had made a dangerous discovery, sleeping and eating little, and later on disability leave; his complaint alleges financial, reputational and emotional harm.","frameworkFacets":[],"pathwayDirection":"inward","causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":1,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"The sources describe one person, the plaintiff.","victimAgeRange":"adult","platformType":"assistant","outcomeType":"lawsuit_filed","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/news/general/ontario-recruiter-sues-openai-alleging-flawed-product-design-drove-him-to-mental-health-crisis/393340","primarySourceLabel":"Canadian Lawyer, 7 November 2025: Ontario recruiter sues OpenAI, alleging unsafe product design drove him to mental health crisis","firstPublishedAt":"2026-01-11T12:06:15.231072+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-11T03:14:49.495266+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["chatgpt","openai","lawsuit","delusion","canada","adult","work-disability"]}]}