Florida Attorney-General James Uthmeier filed a lawsuit against OpenAI on Monday. He accused the company of putting profits over safety, promoting violence, and pushing products it knew would harm users. Subscribe to this story and read it ad free

Get access to exclusive content, ad free articles, and unlimited access. The complaint filed by NBC News on Monday stated that “the rise of OpenAI can be attributed to a web deceit, and the exploitation (of users including Floridians) of their data and security to boost OpenAI’s market value. Florida is the only state to sue OpenAI over safety and design. Uthmeier said that the civil action seeks penalties and a court’s order, rather than criminal charges. The civil action “seeks Altman to be held personally responsible for the harm caused to Floridians by his reckless and Willful Conduct as the Founder and CEO of OpenAI.” This action is separate to a

investigation into OpenAI which Uthmeier began in late ril and continues to this day. The lawsuit, which is quite extensive, accuses OpenAI four times of deceptive, unfair, and unconscionable trade practices. There are also two counts for negligence, two for violating the product liability laws and one each of fraud and false representation. The lawsuit claims that OpenAI systems pose a “great risk of addiction, mental decline, violence and other harms to users.” OpenAI’s spokesperson responded to the suit by focusing on the children and teens: “Losing your child is a devastating tragedy for any family, and no words could ever describe the pain.” AI is an emerging technology that is powerful, but we also believe that minors should be protected. That is why OpenAI has implemented industry-leading policies and protections. We are committed to getting it right. We understand that pointing out this work won’t bring back a child, but we will continue to do it. The complaint also refers to the alleged

of ChatGPT for the planning and execution of the

as well as the

of the criminal investigation. OpenAI spokesman Drew Pusateri made a statement in NBC News saying that while the Florida State University mass shooting was tragic, ChatGPT wasn’t responsible. The company had been sued after a victim’s family filed a lawsuit against it. ChatGPT responded to the questions using information available on public websites. It did not promote any illegal or harmful behavior. In Tallahassee, community members held a vigil honoring victims of Florida State University’s shooting in ril 2025. Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo /

This lawsuit is part of a growing number of legal actions brought by both governments and private citizens against OpenAI. Many of these contain similar claims that the core offerings of the company can have serious negative effects on their users. OpenAI was sued by

, who claimed that the company’s products led to suicides or harmful delusions. Families of victims of

have also sued OpenAI. Families of victims claim that OpenAI was negligent in not reporting the suspects’ worrying use of ChatGPT to law enforcement months earlier after OpenAI’s safety team raised concerns about the suspects’ gun-related ChatGPT interactions. In late ril, Uthmeier promised to “work with all levels government to ensure that something like this doesn’t hpen again.” Ron DeSantis has

the largest AI companies in America. In December designs its systems, Ron DeSantis highlighted Florida residents’ right to privacy, while also criticizing the building of data centers which power AI systems. DeSantis also

asserting states’ the company says. This suit was filed Monday amid a growing anti-AI sentiment in the United States, as many

s and mass shooting at Florida State Universitys have been made. In a suit filed against ChatGPT, the plaintiff argues that the advertisements for the service’s ability to help small businesses and farmers do not disclose the fact that it can be wrong, make mistakes, or provide false, nonsensical, or hallucinatory information. The suit refers to several advertisements that claim ChatGPT is able to assist farmers and small businesses. It argues that these advertisements fail to disclose that ChatGPT may be incorrect, make mistakes, provide false or nonsensical information, or even hallucinatory information. The suit claims that the increased use of ChatGPT, the more training data it can collect for improvement and the greater market value OpenAI will gain from this. The complaint cites incidents where ChatGPT allegedly offered dangerous medical advice to its users, such as when it told teenager Sam Nelson to mix kratom and Xanax. of two graduate students at the University of South Florida for the wrongful death of Sam Nelson in May 2025. The New York Times reported that Pusateri was the OpenAI spokesperson who said, “These conversations took place in an earlier version ChatGPT which is no more available.” ChatGPT cannot replace medical care or mental health services. We have worked with mental health professionals to enhance how ChatGPT responds in difficult and urgent situations. Since then, it has created a corporation that is

but the for-profit entity still remains under the nonprofit OpenAI Foundation. OpenAI raised $122 billion during its most recent funding round in march. Altman’s and OpenAI’s Monday lawsuit is not their first encounter with accusations of recklessly prioritizing profitability. Musk claimed in a 2024 lawsuit that the company had abandoned its nonprofit status because it valued commercial success above the public good. Musk left OpenAI after a bitter power struggle in 2018. Musk announced that he would peal the

verdict in May.