OpenAI faces 30 new lawsuits over Tumbler Ridge shooting

The expansion of the litigation includes plaintiffs who were present at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School during the attack but were not physically injured. These complaints allege that OpenAI leadership, specifically pointing to Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane and CEO Sam Altman, prioritized corporate reputation over public safety when they declined to report the perpetrator, Jesse Van Rootselaar, to Canadian law enforcement despite internal warnings about her violent intent.

OpenAI maintains that Van Rootselaar’s activity did not meet the company’s internal threshold for an imminent threat. Jason Kwon, the company’s chief strategy officer, dismissed claims of Lehane’s involvement in the decision-making process as false, asserting that internal safety assessments remain independent of political or public relations considerations. The plaintiffs, however, contrast this stance with a November 2025 incident where OpenAI proactively alerted San Francisco police and locked down its offices following a perceived threat against its own staff, arguing the company applies a double standard to its safety obligations.