OpenAI requested memorial attendee list in ChatGPT suicide lawsuit

OpenAI has reportedly asked the Raine family – whose 16-year-old son Adam Raine committed suicide after lengthy conversations with ChatGPT – for a full list of attendees of the teen memorial, indicating that the AI ​​company may attempt to subpoena friends and family.

OpenAI also requested “any documents related to memorial services or events in honor of the deceased, including but not limited to videos or photographs taken, or eulogies given,” according to a document obtained by the deceased. Financial times.

Speaking to the FT, lawyers for the Raine family described the request as ‘deliberate intimidation’.

The new information comes as the Raine family updated its lawsuit against OpenAI on Wednesday. The family first filed a wrongful death lawsuit against OpenAI in August after claiming their son committed suicide after conversations with the chatbot about his mental health and suicidal thoughts. The updated lawsuit alleges that OpenAI accelerated GPT-4o’s May 2024 release by scrapping security testing due to competitive pressure.

The lawsuit also claims that OpenAI weakened protections in February 2025 by removing suicide prevention from its list of “disallowed content,” and instead only advising the AI ​​to “exercise caution in high-risk situations.” The family argued that after this change, Adam’s ChatGPT use rose from dozens of daily chats, with 1.6% containing self-harming content in January, to 300 daily chats in April, the month he died, with 17% containing such content.

Commenting on the amended lawsuit, OpenAI said: “The well-being of teenagers is a top priority for us – minors deserve strong protection, especially at sensitive times. We have taken precautions today, such as [directing to] crisis hotlines, redirecting sensitive conversations to safer models, encouraging pauses during long sessions, and we continue to strengthen these.”

OpenAI recently started rolling out a new security routing system and parental controls on ChatGPT. The routing system sends more emotionally sensitive calls to OpenAI’s newer model, GPT-5, which doesn’t have the same sycophantic tendencies as GPT-4o. And parental controls allow parents to receive safety alerts in limited situations where the teen is potentially at risk of self-harm.

TechCrunch has reached out to OpenAI and the Raine family attorney.