Sam Altman, center, and OpenAI President Greg Brockman, right, arrive at the U.S. District Court in Oakland, Calif., April 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)
By The Canadian Press

OpenAI faces 30 new lawsuits from witnesses to mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C.

Sep 2, 2026 | 10:24 AM

VANCOUVER — Another 30 lawsuits are being filed against artificial intelligence company OpenAI and founder Sam Altman in relation to the deadly mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C.

Vancouver-based law firm Rice Parson Leoni and Elliott says in a statement that the lawsuits are from witnesses to the Feb. 10 shootings, including faculty and students at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School.

The lawsuits are being filed in the Northern District of California, the same jurisdiction where seven previous lawsuits from families of victims in the shooting were filed.

Eighteen-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar killed her mother and brother in their family home before going to the school and killing five students and an educational assistant then shooting herself dead.

OpenAI and Altman have been heavily criticized after it was revealed that the shooter’s use of the company’s ChatGPT chatbot months before the shooting was concerning enough for the account to be banned, but police were not notified.

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In a post on social media, OpenAI chief strategy officer Jason Kwon says the company is approaching the litigation “with respect for both the legal process and the families and victims” of the shooting and will “continue to engage in good faith.”

Kwon says it is “completely untrue” to accuse those working at OpenAI of not prioritizing safety, with the team working “continuously to identify potential warning signals of serious violence” while also protecting the privacy and security of ChatGPT users.

Lawyer John Rice for the plaintiffs says of the new lawsuits that they come from “were eyewitnesses to gun violence, murder, and emergency life-saving efforts rarely seen outside of a theatre of war.”

“If the allegations of fact are proven true in court, our clients and their families want justice,” Rice says, noting the lawsuits are seeking all of OpenAI’s internal documents on its decision not to inform police.

The plaintiffs are also seeking “historic compensatory and punitive damages to penalize OpenAI for its reckless disregard for public safety,” as well as measures to prevent future incidents.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 2, 2026.

Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

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