MIAMI (AP) — The state of Florida filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman on Monday, claiming the company knowingly released and aggressively marketed ChatGPT to the public while concealing serious risks.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said during a news conference that the company suppressed internal safety warnings and deceived users about the true nature and dangers of the product.
“Today, we announced the first-in-the-nation state-led lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman,” Uthmeier said. “OpenAI and Altman ignored internal and external safety warnings, put children at great risk, and allowed a dangerous product to reach millions of Floridians.”
The civil complaint filed in Florida circuit court references two separate shootings where the alleged gunmen were reported to have asked ChatGPT questions while planning their crimes. OpenAI said in a statement that its models repeatedly encouraged the individuals to seek real-world support, including from mental health professionals. The company also said it has cooperated with law enforcement in both cases.
“ChatGPT is a general-purpose tool used by hundreds of millions of people every day for legitimate purposes,” an OpenAI statement said. "We work continuously to strengthen our safeguards to detect harmful intent, limit misuse, and respond appropriately when safety risks arise.”
In April, Uthmeier opened a criminal investigation into OpenAI over whether ChatGPT offered advice to a gunman who killed two people and wounded six others last year at Florida State University. And in another case, prosecutors have said the man charged with killing two University of South Florida doctoral students had asked ChatGPT what would happen if a human body was put in a garbage bag and thrown in a dumpster, days before they went missing.
Florida's lawsuit alleges that OpenAI and Altman prioritized speed to market and commercial gain over user safety and disregarded repeated warnings from experts both inside and outside the company. The lawsuit claims the company deployed a product that facilitates and encourages harm, including self-harm and violence, while falsely assuring users it was safe.
The complaint also alleges that ChatGPT collects data from minors without meaningful parental oversight, as well as causes behavioral addiction and cognitive harm. The company has also actively downplayed dangerous errors, the suit said.
Florida law prohibits unfair and defective trade practices, officials said. The complaint alleges that OpenAI’s conduct causes ongoing harm to Floridians and demands accountability.
FILE - Sam Altman arrives at the U.S. District Court in Oakland, Calif., April 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, file)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Reporters and the public will be allowed to attend a key upcoming hearing for the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk, after a Utah judge on Monday denied a defense request to restrict access.
Tyler Robinson’s defense team had asked Judge Tony Graf to close portions of the preliminary hearing on July 6-10, when prosecutors must show they have enough evidence to warrant a trial. It will mark the most significant presentation of evidence to date in a case that has so far focused on matters of media access.
“The public and the media enjoy a presumptive right to access court proceedings, including preliminary hearings,” Graf said during his ruling. He said the defense hadn’t shown that presenting the evidence publicly would deny Robinson a fair trial.
Robinson's lawyers have tried to guard against media coverage that they say sometimes misrepresents their client, as his case has drawn tremendous public attention. The 23-year-old from southwestern Utah is charged with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 assassination of Kirk on the Utah Valley University campus.
Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty if Robinson is convicted. He has not yet entered a plea.
Prosecutors argued that the preliminary hearing should remain open, but they agreed with the defense that media should be limited from viewing or copying some exhibits that could be used in a future trial. They plan to introduce forensic analyses, surveillance video, recordings of witness statements, autopsy findings and alleged messages from Robinson admitting to the crime.
Authorities have said DNA consistent with Robinson’s was found on the trigger of the rifle used to kill Kirk, the fired cartridge casing, two unfired cartridges and a towel used to wrap the rifle. Prosecutors also have said Robinson left a note for his romantic partner that read, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.”
Graf also granted defense attorneys' request for a hearing on June 12 in which they will argue that prosecutors should be punished for comments they made in the media. Robinson's lawyers have said one prosecutor, Christopher Ballard, essentially went on a “media tour” in which he made “expressions of opinion as to Mr. Robinson’s guilt.”
Prosecutors responded to the claims last month, saying Ballard had a right to correct misinformation in the media about an inconclusive, preliminary finding by ballistics experts, which led to speculation about Robinson’s possible exoneration. They said Ballard did not make any statement of opinion about guilt.
Tyler Robinson, left, accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, appears during a hearing in the 4th District Court in Provo, Utah, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool)
