A Texas couple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in California state court, accusing the AI company of responsibility for their 19-year-old son’s overdose death. Leila Turner-Scott and Angus Scott claim their son, Sam Nelson, died in 2025 after receiving drug-related guidance from ChatGPT.
Details of the Fatal Advice
The lawsuit alleges ChatGPT provided unqualified medical advice, stating it was safe to combine Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug, with kratom, a herbal supplement. This interaction proved fatal for Nelson. The family argues proper safety measures could have prevented the tragedy.
Turner-Scott stated she knew her son used the tool for schoolwork but was unaware he sought drug advice. She claims the AI bypassed safeguards and continued conversations promoting self-harm.
Family Seeks Accountability
Angus Scott described ChatGPT as functioning like an unlicensed doctor during exchanges with his stepson. “It can start feeding psychosis,” Scott said. “It can start misrepresenting things to people. And while it is trying to validate users, it’s also undermining any chance that that user has to get a grounded opinion, you know, and so it kind of takes them away from reality.”
Turner-Scott views the lawsuit as a way to honor her son’s memory. “He would not want anyone else to be harmed like he was,” she said. The family aims to hold AI developers accountable for product risks.
OpenAI’s Statement
OpenAI expressed sympathy for the family, noting Nelson used an older software version no longer available. The company emphasizes its technology does not replace professional healthcare.
Safeguards aim to detect distress and direct users to help, the company stated. “ChatGPT is not a substitute for medical or mental health care, and we have continued to strengthen how it responds in sensitive and acute situations with input from mental health experts.” OpenAI added that the chatbot urged Nelson to call emergency hotlines and seek medical aid several times.
