Lines v. OpenAI Foundation (formerly OpenAI, Inc.), OpenAI Group PBC (formerly OpenAI OpCo, LLC), OpenAI Holdings, LLC, and Samuel Altman

In 2025, Michael Lines attempted to end his own life during a manic episode marked by religious delusions. He survived, but in the aftermath, his family learned that Michael had developed an escalating dependence on ChatGPT-4o, a general-purpose chatbot developed by OpenAI, in the months before his near-death experience.

Although Michael had previously disclosed his bipolar diagnosis to ChatGPT, the model reinforced his delusions—at points affirming his suspicion that he was a messianic figure—rather than directing him toward professional help.

Now, with representation from Tech Justice Law and the Social Media Victims Law Center, Michael is bringing seven causes of action against OpenAI and CEO Samuel Altman, including various claims related to product liability, negligence and violations of California’s Unfair Competition Law.

The complaint, filed on July 1, 2026, argues that Michael’s mental health crisis was enabled by deliberate design choices by the company, including the public release of a product engineered to foster emotional dependence and keep vulnerable users glued to the screen. The complaint argues that users like Michael, who live with bipolar disorder or other disabilities that make them susceptible to emotional disregulation through external reinforcement, face known psychological risks from design choices that blur the line between authentic emotional connection and artificially generated responses—risks that OpenAI failed to address.

Tech Justice Law has previously brought lawsuits against OpenAI for their defective product, ChatGPT 4-o, but this is the first complaint against OpenAI that details the specific risks posed to members of the disabled community as a result of the company’s recklessness. OpenAI’s own internal research demonstrated the risks of increased loneliness and isolation to users and the company knew, or should have known, the particular risk to users experiencing mental health disabilities.

Read the full Complaint below.