
VANCOUVER — The American lawyer representing some of the victims of the Tumbler Ridge, B.C., mass shooting says they will likely be seeking more than US$1 billion in their lawsuit against OpenAI and its founder Sam Altman.
VANCOUVER — The American lawyer representing some of the victims of the Tumbler Ridge, B.C., mass shooting says they will likely be seeking more than US$1 billion in their lawsuit against OpenAI and its founder Sam Altman.
Chicago-based lawyer Jay Edelson, who has represented a number of clients in wrongful death cases against OpenAI, says the Tumbler Ridge case where eight victims were killed was “obviously the worst thing” his law firm has encountered.
Edelson is the American co-counsel for Tumbler Ridge victims and family members who filed wrongful-death lawsuits in California against OpenAI and Altman today.
In seven overlapping lawsuits, the plaintiffs are alleging that the artificial intelligence company and their founder failed to warn authorities while aiding and abetting the shooting, among other allegations.
The Feb. 10 this year, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar killed eight people then shot herself.
Shortly after the shooting, OpenAI revealed that staff had flagged the killer’s troubling online behaviour with her interactions with ChatGPT, but the company did not inform police, a mistake Altman apologized for last week.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2026.
Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press





