The family of a 12-year-old girl who was gravely injured during a mass shooting in Canada has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the technology company of failing to alert authorities about troubling activity linked to the attacker on its chatbot platform.
Lawyers representing Maya Gebala, who remains hospitalized after the shooting, announced the legal action on Tuesday. They claim the company did not notify law enforcement even after banning an account connected to the suspect over concerns about violent activity.
The account was linked to 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, who carried out the attack in February at her home and a school in the small mining town of Tumbler Ridge. The account had been banned by OpenAI in June 2025, about eight months before the deadly incident.
OpenAI said the account was removed because of concerning usage tied to potential violence. However, the company stated it did not inform police because there was no clear indication that an attack was imminent.
The lawsuit, filed by the law firm Rice, Parsons, Leoni, and Elliot, alleges negligence and seeks to uncover the full circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
“The purpose of this lawsuit is to learn the whole truth about how and why the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting happened, to impose accountability, to seek redress for harms and losses, and to help prevent another mass-shooting atrocity in Canada,” the law firm said in a statement.
According to the lawyers, the case involves “extremely serious, though unproven, allegations against the American technology firm.”
Following the tragedy, Canadian authorities summoned OpenAI executives to the capital city of Ottawa to discuss the company’s security procedures. The premier of British Columbia, David Eby, also held direct discussions with OpenAI’s chief executive, Sam Altman.
Last month, OpenAI said that its updated safety policies would likely have required the company to notify Canadian authorities about the account linked to Van Rootselaar. The firm noted that it introduced several changes in recent months, including consulting mental health specialists, behavioral experts, and law enforcement professionals to help identify conversations that may pose a credible threat.
Responding to questions about the lawsuit, OpenAI described the shooting as a tragedy.
“What happened in Tumbler Ridge was an unspeakable tragedy,” a company spokesperson said. “OpenAI remains committed to working with government and law enforcement officials to make meaningful changes that help prevent tragedies like this in the future.”
Meanwhile, Maya Gebala continues to fight for her life in hospital. According to her lawyers, she has undergone multiple emergency brain surgeries and other life-saving procedures, along with treatment for severe infections.
“Slowly, Maya is stabilizing, but her long-term prognosis is unknown,” the statement added.
Authorities say Van Rootselaar first killed her mother and brother at their home before going to a local secondary school, where she fatally shot five students and a teacher. The attacker later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after police entered the building.
