Listen to this articleDear 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated using AI-based technology. Pronunciation errors may occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve results. OpenAI wants a US judge to dismiss more than three dozen lawsuits filed in California by survivors and relatives of victims of the Tumbler Ridge school shooting who claim the tech giant and its CEO could have prevented the tragedy. In motions to dismiss some of the 37 actions in US federal courts, OpenAI lawyers say any legal action related to the deaths and injuries should take place in British Columbia. The company says it will ultimately defend itself against what it calls “baseless allegations,” but insists both public and private interests would be better served by bringing the case before a British Columbia judge. “British Columbia is clearly an available and suitable alternative forum, so the key questions … are where the parties can access evidence and which forum has the most interest. The answer to both is British Columbia.” On February 10, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar killed eight people, including six children, before taking his own life. In the wake of the tragedy, questions arose about the shooter’s interactions with the health care system and police; turned to OpenAI after news reports about Van Rootselaar’s use of ChatGPT. Tumbler Ridge High School is pictured Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, the day after a school shooting. (Ben Nelms/CBC) The first lawsuits filed against OpenAI and CEO Altman were filed last spring in California, where the company is based, and another wave of lawsuits followed earlier this month. The lawsuits alleged that “ChatGPT played a role in the mass shooting and OpenAI could and should have prevented it.” The victims claim the company flagged the shooter’s ChatGPT account for “gun violence and planning” eight months before the attack, but “after a contentious internal debate, made a conscious decision not to warn authorities.” They claim to be suing both Altman and his company “for designing a dangerous product, ignoring warnings from their own security team, refusing to notify authorities when they knew the shooter was planning a massive attack, inviting them to return to the platform after deactivating their account, and choosing profits over the lives of the children of Tumbler Ridge.” Lawyer wants chat logs released: Lawyer for Tumbler Ridge victims says OpenAI must be held accountable. ‘Forum non conveniens’ OpenAI has filed identical motions to dismiss several lawsuits over the past two weeks, citing a legal concept called “forum non conveniens” to argue that British Columbia is the logical place to launch any legal action related to the Tumbler Ridge shooting. Witnesses.OpenAI says a British Columbia courtroom would be the logical location for any court proceedings related to the Tumbler Ridge shooting. (Peter Scobie/CBC)OpenAI also says BC has an “exceptionally strong sovereign interest in these actions being resolved at home.” The motion to dismiss states that legal action will require an examination of the role of “Canadian authorities, firearms regulations and British Columbia institutions in the events preceding the shooting.” OpenAI says the actions would overlap “with Canada’s ongoing examination of its own institutions and policy options.” “Returning weapons to the home of a mentally unstable teenage girl who had recently committed arson in an attempt to kill her family and had been repeatedly involuntarily hospitalized under British Columbia mental health legislation,” the court document says. “The standard of care may change statutes and community practices in Canada and British Columbia, which differ from those in California.”[The] The legal claims, blaming OpenAI for a horrific mass shooting by a deeply troubled teenager after systemic failures by law enforcement, mental health care, and educational institutions in his community, are not viable,” the motion to dismiss reads. “Nor are the claims against Samuel Altman, who was not personally involved in the June 2025 review of the shooter’s ChatGPT account or the decision at that time not to refer his account to the Canadian authorities.” Story from ChatGPT, Altman apologized to the Tumbler Ridge community and said the company has updated its protocols. The British Columbia government is also planning legal action against OpenAI and has since demolished the Tumbler Ridge High School site.
