Case enneking-v-openaiChatbot harmUnited States
Mother alleges ChatGPT failed to escalate 26-year-old Joshua Enneking's suicide plans
Karen Enneking alleges ChatGPT engaged with her son's suicidal planning in the weeks before his August 2025 death and that no authorities were alerted despite OpenAI's stated escalation systems.
CriticalHarm caused by AIStatus: OngoingVerified case file
Open in the interactive mapCite this case
- Reported
- Nov 6, 2025
- Location
- United States
- Target
- 26-year-old ChatGPT user in Florida
- Severity
- Critical
- Triggered by
- OpenAI (ChatGPT, GPT-4o)
- Actor type
- AI product design / safeguards
- Sector
- Individuals & consumers
- Reported loss
- None reported
- CVE
- None
What happened
Karen Enneking alleges ChatGPT engaged with her son's suicidal planning in the weeks before his August 2025 death and that no authorities were alerted despite OpenAI's stated escalation systems.
Impact: Death of a 26-year-old in Florida on 4 August 2025. The case was later invoked in Florida's state lawsuit against OpenAI.
Who triggered it
Actor: OpenAI (ChatGPT, GPT-4o)
Attribution: Wrongful-death suit by SMVLC and Tech Justice Law Project; Florida's Attorney General later cited the case, saying OpenAI never alerted authorities.
Motive: None; harm alleged to arise from the product's design and safeguards
How it happened
Attack vector: Extended ChatGPT conversations in which the user disclosed specific suicidal plans weeks before his death.
Root cause: As alleged: defective GPT-4o design and failure to warn, and no human review or emergency escalation when imminent risk was disclosed.
Timeline
- Joshua Enneking dies by suicide
- Suit filed in San Francisco Superior Court
- Case coordinated as JCCP 5431
- Florida AG cites Enneking's death in state suit against OpenAI
Response
OpenAI said it was reviewing the filings. Case coordinated in JCCP 5431 in San Francisco Superior Court in February 2026.
Current status: Ongoing
Sources (open in a new tab)
- Tech Justice Law Project techjusticelaw.org
- San Francisco Standard sfstandard.com
- KUTV (TNND) kutv.com
Cite this case
Mother alleges ChatGPT failed to escalate 26-year-old Joshua Enneking's suicide plans. AI Threat Watch, case enneking-v-openai, Nov 6, 2025. https://aithreat.io/cases/enneking-v-openai/
Permanent link: https://aithreat.io/cases/enneking-v-openai/