This week, Sam Altman asked the world for sympathy over threats to his home. At the same moment, his lawyers were in court arguing that OpenAI had no obligation to stop a dangerous stalker from terrorizing our client; a man previously arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and a bomb threat, found mentally incompetent by a court, and released last week on a technicality.
Even though OpenAI's own systems had flagged his conversations for "mass casualty" activity, the company argued it wouldn't shut down his accounts while authorities searched for him. It also argued that the chatlogs, which could identify who else is in danger and how he may be planning to act, should not be turned over.
OpenAI made these arguments in the wake of Tumbler Ridge, FSU, and Soelberg, three tragedies now linked to ChatGPT-assisted murder.
Today, a court disagreed. The chatlogs will be turned over and he will be kept off the platform.
We are thankful for the court's ruling and remain stunned by OpenAI's lack of human decency. No one should have to go to court to get a company to take "mass casualty" seriously.
https://t.co/fmh92Ip9Ej
OpenAI flagged our client’s stalker for mass-casualty weapons activity. A human overrode it. He was later arrested for bomb threats and assault. He could be released any day. OpenAI is refusing to share what they know to keep her and other potential victims safe.
After Soelberg, Tumbler Ridge and FSU, it's become clear that Sama and OAI should not be entrusted to control some of the most powerful consumer tech known to humanity.
https://t.co/KSC9BqKoQ9
Appreciate @AGJamesUthmeier leadership. AGs across the country have the ability to investigate, demand answers and hold AI companies accountable when their products kill people.
Proud to be representing Suzanne's estate. After reviewing countless chat logs, we know that this is not an isolated incident. AI can take mentally unstable people and create conspiracy-filled "worlds" leading to violence against third parties. We have seen AI help plan mass casualty events, put targets on the backs of public figures, police officers, and every day people. In a time when tensions are already high, AI companies cannot be putting out products that are certain to push people over the edge.
OpenAI has sent a legal request to the family of Adam Raine, the 16yo who died by suicide following lengthy chats with ChatGPT, asking for a full attendee list to his memorial, as well as photos taken or eulogies given.
His lawyers told the FT this was "intentional harassment"
Edelson PC Founder @jayedelson discusses the wrongful death suit filed by the parents of Adam Raine against OpenAI after their son died by suicide: https://t.co/vyvTe7RdRY
Today we filed a wrongful death suit against OpenAI and Sam Altman for a family whose 16-yr-old son Adam died by suicide after months of encouragement from ChatGPT. His parents are bravely fighting to prevent this from ever happening again. AI should never tell a child they don’t owe their parents survival.
What this case will put on trial is the extent to which OpenAI and Sam Altman rushed the then-newest version of ChatGPT, 4o, to market despite clear safety issues. The Raines allege that deaths like Adam’s were inevitable: they expect to be able to submit evidence to a jury that OpenAI’s own safety team objected to the release of 4o, and that one of the company’s top safety researchers, @ilyasut, quit over it. The lawsuit alleges that beating its competitors to market with the new model catapulted the company's valuation from $86 billion to $300 billion.
In response to coverage this morning, the company has admitted that the safeguards against self-harm that it has "become less reliable in long interactions where parts of the model’s safety training may degrade.”
I'm excited to be launching The Backroom, a new feature in my Substack where I'm talking about how billion-dollar cases actually settle. And I'm particularly looking forward to sharing my (fairly unique) philosophy of negotiation.
Lawyers billing 57.5 hours in a day.
Two trials, same time, same lawyer.
That’s what Ford alleges in its $300M ghost billing RICO suit.
They even named a paralegal as a defendant.
You’ve seen the headlines—here’s what the case might actually mean.
Part 2 of the Taxi Cab series:
https://t.co/lprxjwJAkG
#LegalEthics #MassTorts #ClassActions #RICO
BigLaw isn’t even pretending anymore. Stanford just moved OCI to before 1L summer jobs—no grades, no experience, no evaluation. The illusion is gone. Top pay? Not unique. Power & prestige? Hard to sell when you can’t stand up for yourself.
We explain: https://t.co/jjtym3cNlj