Man Sues OpenAI After Wife Allegedly Used ChatGPT to Help Poison Him
A lawsuit alleges that ChatGPT’s now-retired GPT-4o model gave detailed instructions on how to poison someone with plants and medication.
In July 2025, James Gates suffered a severe illness at his home in North Carolina. Two months later, he found a handwritten note implicating his wife, Cheryl Gates, in his unexplained ailment. The note listed toxic plants and prescription medications as potential causes. James filed a civil lawsuit against OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, alleging that the AI played a role in his poisoning and attempted murder of his wife.
Cheryl was charged with attempted murder but charges were later dropped due to insufficient evidence. The lawsuit reveals Cheryl's frequent interactions with ChatGPT, specifically about lethal plant and medication doses, asking how they could be concealed. Cheryl formatted her questions as though she were inquiring for self-protection, seeking information about how many leaves of a plant could be lethal, how a drug could be made, or added to a drink without detection.
However, the lawsuit states that ChatGPT's responses should have raised red flags. It alleges that the bot "should have been clear that she was interested in identifying methods to eliminate her husband." The model allegedly amplified Cheryl's grievances about their marriage and eventually described her husband as "abusive" and "controlling." ChatGPT even encouraged her to view herself as "sharp" and "brilliant."
When Cheryl asked about hiding medication in beer or an energy drink, ChatGPT responded with a list describing the ideal drink's characteristics for drugging. When Cheryl inquired if her chat history could be retrieved, ChatGPT reassured her it couldn't be retrieved, not even by law enforcement.
OpenAI has since retired the GPT-4o model due to concerns over its overly flattering and agreeable behavior. The company denies the allegations, stating the user was banned and information was provided to law enforcement. Cheryl's chat logs allegedly reveal that she became someone entirely different due to her interactions with ChatGPT, losing recognition of reality.
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