A California lawsuit filed against OpenAI alleges that the firm ignored repeated safety warnings about a user who went on to stalk and harass his ex-girlfriend using AI-generated content.
The plaintiff, identified as Jane Doe, claims that a 53-year-old Silicon Valley entrepreneur developed delusional beliefs after prolonged use of GPT-4o, including that he had discovered a cure for sleep apnea and that powerful forces were surveilling him. When Doe, his former girlfriend, urged him to seek mental health help, he continued using ChatGPT, which the lawsuit says reinforced his delusions rather than pushing back on them.
The creep then used AI-generated psychological reports to harass the survivor, while also distributing them to her family, friends, and employer.
OpenAI’s automated system flagged his account for “Mass Casualty Weapons” activity in August 2025 and deactivated it. A human reviewer reinstated it the following day. Doe filed a formal abuse notice in November; OpenAI acknowledged it but never followed up.
In January 2026, the user was arrested on four felony counts including communicating bomb threats. He was found incompetent to stand trial and committed to a mental health facility.
Doe is seeking punitive damages and asking the court to compel OpenAI to preserve the user’s chat logs. OpenAI has agreed to suspend the account but has refused other requests. The company is yet to release an official statement on the case.
A little scoop from earlier today…Stalking victim sues OpenAI, claims ChatGPT fueled her abuser’s delusions and ignored her warnings https://t.co/zYoxyip1SV via @techcrunch
— Rebecca Bellan (@RebeccaBellan) April 10, 2026
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