The parents of a 15-year-old Lebanese boy who died by suicide have filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, alleging that interactions with ChatGPT contributed to their son’s death.
Charbel Habib and Soha Samaha filed the wrongful death complaint in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, following the death of their son, Mathias Habib, on April 22, 2026. The family is represented by the Social Media Victims Law Center and Tech Justice Law.
According to the family, Mathias was a happy, healthy teenager with no history of mental health problems. An academically outstanding student, he enjoyed go-kart racing, playing guitar, painting, photography and filmmaking, as well as hiking and camping in the mountains.
For nearly three years, his use of ChatGPT had reportedly been limited to occasional conversations about homework, cameras, hiking routes and classic cars, with no pattern of excessive use.
However, the family alleges that his interactions with the chatbot took a troubling turn in January 2026, when he began exploring Stoicism after deciding to read Meditations by the Roman philosopher Marcus Aurelius.
His first question to ChatGPT was whether Stoicism was a cult, as he wanted to ensure he was not becoming involved in something harmful.
According to the family's account, over the following three months, ChatGPT steered Mathias from the writings of Marcus Aurelius toward the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, nihilism and existentialism.
The family alleges that the chatbot reinforced troubling ideas about life and death, including presenting suicide in a manner they considered harmful, despite being aware that Mathias was only 15.
On March 30, at approximately 2:10 a.m., Mathias directly questioned ChatGPT about ending his life, according to the family's account. His parents allege that the platform failed to notify them or alert authorities.
Mathias died 23 days later. The family further alleges that, on the night of his death, ChatGPT helped him schedule an Instagram post for publication after his death.
According to the family, a police investigation found no history of mental illness, family conflict or instability. The family says investigators identified prolonged exposure to personalized philosophical discussions generated by artificial intelligence as a contributing factor in his death.
The lawsuit accuses OpenAI of failing to intervene despite having the technical capability to flag dangerous conversations or restrict users.
In a statement, Mathias' father, Charbel Habib, recalled his son's interests and questioned why artificial intelligence platforms are permitted to engage with children in potentially harmful conversations.
"AI is beneficial to humanity. It will help cure cancer and raise human productivity, so what is the purpose of it engaging with children? Because OpenAI is allowed to talk to children, I can no longer talk to mine," he said.
His mother, Soha Habib, also criticized the platform's alleged failure to alert the family after her son expressed suicidal thoughts.
"I was asleep in the same house, yet it didn't wake anyone up. ChatGPT had twenty-three days to warn a mother, but it never did," she said.
The family is seeking damages and stronger safeguards for minors, including restrictions on children's access to ChatGPT until its safety has been independently verified.
They have also established the Mathias Habib Foundation in their son's memory, aiming to protect children from potential AI-related harm through awareness, research and preventive measures.
The case is among three lawsuits announced by Tech Justice Law on October 15. The other two, filed on behalf of Mariah Hill and Garrett Works, allege that prolonged interactions with ChatGPT caused serious psychological harm.
The legal teams accuse OpenAI of negligence and defective product design, arguing that the chatbot's features can encourage emotional dependence and expose vulnerable users to harm.
2026.10.14 OpenAI JCCP - Habib Complaint.pdf Bundled Cases vs Open AI Press Release .pdf