OpenAI sued over ChatGPT drug advice in teen’s death
OpenAI faces wrongful death lawsuit over ChatGPT drug advice
OpenAI is facing another wrongful death lawsuit, this time from the parents of a 19-year-old University of California, Merced student who died from an accidental overdose after allegedly relying on ChatGPT for drug guidance.
Leila Turner-Scott and Angus Scott say the company designed and distributed a “defective product” that led to the death of their son, Sam Nelson. The complaint alleges that Nelson died after following the “exact medical advice GPT-4o had provided and approved.”
According to the lawsuit, Nelson began using ChatGPT in 2023 while still in high school for homework help and computer troubleshooting. He later started asking the chatbot about safe drug use. At first, the complaint says, ChatGPT refused to help and warned him that taking drugs can have serious consequences for his health and well-being. The plaintiffs allege that changed after the rollout of GPT-4o in 2024.
The complaint includes excerpts from conversations in which ChatGPT allegedly discussed the dangers of taking diphenhydramine, cocaine and alcohol in quick succession. In another exchange, the chatbot reportedly told Nelson that his high tolerance for kratom would make even a large dose feel muted on a full stomach, then advised him on how to “taper” to lower his tolerance.
The lawsuit says that on May 31, 2025, “ChatGPT actively coached Sam to mix Kratom and Xanax.” After Nelson said he felt nauseous from taking kratom, ChatGPT allegedly suggested 0.25 to 0.5 mg of Xanax as one of the “best moves right now” to ease the nausea. The complaint says the recommendation was made unprompted and that ChatGPT did not warn him the combination could be deadly.
Along with wrongful death, the parents are accusing OpenAI of the unauthorized practice of medicine and seeking financial damages. They are also asking a court to pause operations of ChatGPT Health, a newer feature that lets users connect medical records and wellness apps for more tailored health responses.
“ChatGPT is a product deliberately designed to maximize engagement with users, whatever the cost,” said Meetali Jain, executive director at Tech Justice Law Project. “OpenAI deployed a defective AI product directly to consumers around the world with knowledge that it was being used as a de facto medical triage system, but notably, without reasonable safety guardrails, robust safety testing, or transparency to the public.”
Sources:
Read more tech news on the Doppler VPN Blog.