People's Justice

Case trackerEmerging

AI chatbot lawsuits after suicide or self-harm: who may qualify Updates

Updated Oct 5, 2026

Families who lost someone to suicide may have a claim if they believe an AI chatbot played a part. So may people hurt by self-harm.

Register interest

Follow the record

No source-linked updates are available here yet. The case guide has the current information and eligibility details.

Read the case guide

Stay informed

Get free updates about AI chatbot after suicide or self-harm: who may qualify

No phone call required. We will email you about relevant court filings, settlements, or important deadlines.

By submitting, you agree to receive email updates about this case. You can unsubscribe anytime. This is not legal advice, and we are not a law firm.

Sources

  1. Order Re: Petition for Coordination, ChatGPT Product Liability Cases, JCCP No. 5431 (Super. Ct. S.F. County, Feb. 3, 2026, Hon. Stephen M. Murphy)JCCP 5431 coordination order · court
  2. Judicial Council of California, Civil Case Coordination Proceeding (JCCP) Log, 2018 to present (entry for JCCP 5431)Judicial Council JCCP log · court
  3. Garcia v. Character Technologies, Inc., No. 6:24-cv-1903-ACC-UAM (M.D. Fla.), Order on Motions to Dismiss, Doc. 115 (signed May 20, 2025; filed May 21, 2025)Garcia order on motions to dismiss · court
  4. Garcia v. Character Technologies, Inc., Notice of Resolution, Doc. 242 (Jan. 7, 2026)Garcia notice of resolution · court
  5. Garcia v. Character Technologies, Inc., Order Dismissing Case, Doc. 244 (Jan. 7, 2026)Garcia dismissal order · court
  6. CourtListener docket, Garcia v. Character Technologies, Inc., 6:24-cv-01903 (M.D. Fla.)Garcia docket · court
  7. A.F., on behalf of J.F., et al. v. Character Technologies, Inc., No. 2:24-cv-01014 (E.D. Tex.), Complaint, Doc. 1 (Dec. 9, 2024)A.F. complaint (E.D. Tex.) · court
  8. A.F. v. Character Technologies, Inc., Joint Motion to Stay All Deadlines and Notice of Settlement, Doc. 106 (Jan. 6, 2026)A.F. notice of settlement · court
  9. CourtListener docket, A.F. v. Character Technologies, Inc., 2:24-cv-01014 (E.D. Tex.)A.F. docket · court
  10. Montoya v. Character Technologies, Inc., No. 1:25-cv-02907 (D. Colo.), Unopposed Joint Motion to Stay, Doc. 31 (Jan. 6, 2026)Montoya joint motion to stay · court
  11. Montoya v. Character Technologies, Inc., Joint Status Report, Doc. 34 (Apr. 2, 2026)Montoya status report · court
  12. CourtListener docket, E.S. v. Character Technologies, Inc., 1:25-cv-02906 (D. Colo.)E.S. docket (D. Colo.) · court
  13. Fox v. OpenAI, Inc., et al., No. 25STCV32379 (Super. Ct. L.A. County), Amended Complaint (dated Nov. 6, 2025)Fox amended complaint
  14. FTC press release: FTC Launches Inquiry into AI Chatbots Acting as Companions (Sept. 11, 2025)FTC 6(b) inquiry · regulator
  15. California SB 243 (2025), Companion chatbots, chaptered text (Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 22601-22606)California SB 243 text · regulator
  16. California SB 243 (2025) bill statusSB 243 status · regulator
  17. Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1Cal. CCP § 335.1 · regulator
  18. Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 352Cal. CCP § 352 · regulator
  19. Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 377.60Cal. CCP § 377.60 · regulator
  20. Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 6147 (contingency fee contracts)Cal. B&P § 6147 · regulator
  21. Cal. Prob. Code § 873 (digital assets: user direction)Cal. Prob. Code § 873 · regulator
  22. Cal. Prob. Code § 876 (disclosure of a deceased user's communications)Cal. Prob. Code § 876 · regulator
  23. HHS: Your Medical RecordsHHS: Your Medical Records · regulator
  24. S.D.N.Y. Pro Se FAQ: How long do I have to file my complaint (statute of limitations)?SDNY: filing time limits · court
  25. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988lifeline.org)988 Lifeline
  26. 988 Lifeline: 988 Lifeline Chat FAQ988 Lifeline Chat
  27. Recommendations for Reporting on Suicide (SAVE and partners; reportingonsuicide.org)Recommendations for Reporting on Suicide
  28. SAVE: Media recommendations for responsible coverageSAVE media recommendations
  29. AFSP: Guidelines for Ethically Reporting on SuicideAFSP ethical reporting guidelines
  30. AFSP: Practical Information for Immediately After a LossAFSP: after a loss
  31. OpenAI: Helping people when they need it most (Aug. 26, 2025)OpenAI statement, Aug. 2025
  32. OpenAI: Introducing parental controls (Sept. 29, 2025; updated July 13, 2026)OpenAI statement, Sept. 2025
  33. OpenAI: Strengthening ChatGPT's responses in sensitive conversations (Oct. 27, 2025)OpenAI statement, Oct. 2025
  34. OpenAI: Our approach to mental health-related litigation (Nov. 25, 2025; updated Dec. 17, 2025)OpenAI litigation statement
  35. OpenAI Help Center: Exporting your ChatGPT history and dataOpenAI Help: data export
  36. Character.AI: Taking Bold Steps to Keep Teen Users Safe on Character.AI (Oct. 29, 2025)Character.AI statement, Oct. 2025
  37. McBain RK et al. Evaluation of Alignment Between Large Language Models and Expert Clinicians in Suicide Risk Assessment. Psychiatric Services 2025;76(11):944-950 (PubMed 41174947)McBain et al., Psychiatric Services 2025 · study
  38. Diel A et al. A scoping review on the mental health harms of LLM-based chatbots. NPJ Digital Medicine 2026;9(1):644 (PubMed 42624944)Diel et al., NPJ Digital Medicine 2026 · study

Want the complete picture?

Read the case guide for eligibility, evidence and your next steps.

View the full AI chatbot lawsuits after suicide or self-harm: who may qualify case guide →