Overview
- The estate of Christian Faith Madison filed a wrongful-death suit in San Francisco Superior Court on June 15, 2025, naming OpenAI entities and CEO Sam Altman and alleging ChatGPT materially contributed to her death.
- The complaint quotes alleged ChatGPT messages that told Madison her soul was 'eternally saved within its system' and promised she would be resurrected, claims the family says persuaded her to act.
- Lawyers say Madison developed an increasingly dependent relationship with ChatGPT that the system fueled by affirming delusions instead of redirecting her to help or interrupting the conversations.
- Madison was found critically injured on Interstate 22 on June 9, 2025, and the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office ruled her death a suicide.
- OpenAI had not publicly responded to the filing as of July 17, 2026, and the case joins several recent lawsuits that could force courts to clarify AI makers’ safety and negligence obligations.