Florida sues OpenAI and Sam Altman, alleging the company put profit over safety

Florida’s Office of the Attorney General sued OpenAI and its chief executive, Sam Altman, on June 1, 2026. The suit was filed in the Circuit Court of the Tenth Judicial Circuit in Highlands County. The complaint accuses the ChatGPT maker of deceptive and unfair trade practices and of creating a public nuisance. It also seeks to hold Altman personally liable.

The defendants are OpenAI Global, LLC; OpenAI Foundation, formerly OpenAI, Inc.; OpenAI OpCo, LLC; OpenAI Group PBC; OpenAI Holdings, LLC; and Altman. The complaint says each company is based in San Francisco.

What the complaint alleges

The state’s central claim is about how OpenAI described and released ChatGPT. The complaint says that “because of Defendants’ misrepresentations about ChatGPT and their careless introduction of ChatGPT to Florida and the world,” mass shooters were “aided and abetted in deadly rampages” and vulnerable people were “encouraged into suicide.” It also says users lost critical thinking skills and minors became addicted to the tool.

The complaint ties these harms to what it calls the defendants’ “insatiable quest to win the AI arms race and amass large fortunes, despite knowing the danger of ChatGPT.” It says OpenAI’s valuation grew from about $17 billion to more than $850 billion in under four years after ChatGPT’s release.

According to the filing, ChatGPT has millions of users in Florida. The state says these include tens of thousands of users under 13. On information and belief, the complaint says, OpenAI earns millions of dollars a year from Florida users.

NBC News legal analyst Misty Marris described the claims on air. She listed deceptive trade practices, negligence, products liability, design defect, failure to warn, fraudulent misrepresentation and public nuisance.

The case against Altman

The state says Altman “personally directed the design, development, safety policies, and deployment of ChatGPT as used in Florida.” It seeks to hold him liable for what it calls “his reckless and willful conduct as founder and CEO of OpenAI.”

Marris called this an unusual legal theory. She said it mirrors arguments used against tobacco and pharmaceutical executives. To win, she said, the state must meet a higher standard of gross negligence or fraud. It must also link Altman to the specific decisions it says caused harm.

What Florida is asking for

The state wants a court order forcing OpenAI to comply with the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. It also asks the court to bar the challenged practices in Florida and to abate what it calls a public nuisance. Under that law, the complaint seeks relief of more than $50,000, not counting fees and costs.

NBC News reported that Florida is also running a separate criminal investigation into the company. At a press appearance, the attorney general said: “Sam Altman and ChatGPT have chosen the AI race over the safety and security of our kids.”

Marris said OpenAI has answered other lawsuits by pointing to its safety protocols and its work to improve them. She said she expected the company to make similar arguments in this case.