A North Carolina man who became gravely ill in the summer of 2025 has filed a civil suit against OpenAI, claiming the company’s chatbot played a central role in what he describes as his wife’s plan to kill him. The ChatGPT poisoning plot lawsuit, brought by James Gates, alleges that the GPT-4o model supplied his wife, Cheryl Gates, with detailed information about lethal plant and medication doses and how to hide them in food and drink.
What the Complaint Alleges
According to the complaint, Cheryl Gates repeatedly questioned the chatbot about toxic plants and prescription drugs, including oleander, clonazepam and atenolol. The suit says she framed her inquiries as a way to protect herself, writing that she needed to learn how many leaves of a plant would be fatal and how a substance could be added to food or drink without being detected.
The filing argues that the model should have recognized her underlying intent despite that framing. It also claims GPT-4o amplified her complaints about her marriage until she described her husband to the bot as abusive and controlling, language the chatbot eventually mirrored, while simultaneously praising her as sharp and brilliant.
At one point, according to the lawsuit, the chatbot responded to a question about putting a heavy dose of medication into beer or a Celsius energy drink with a section titled “Why Celsius Would Be More ‘Stealth’ for Drugging,” followed by a list of factors including flavor, color, temperature and carbonation.
The suit further alleges that when Cheryl Gates asked whether her chat history could be retrieved, the bot told her that deleted conversations could not be recovered by anyone, including OpenAI, even with a legal subpoena or court order. The complaint states that this response was inaccurate.
The Note and the Criminal Case
James Gates fell severely ill at his home two months before he found a handwritten note that allegedly pointed to his wife. The note listed oleander and several prescription medications, and at the top were instructions to clear all conversations and log out of ChatGPT, according to the suit.
Cheryl Gates was charged with attempted murder and other counts in October 2025, but those charges were later dropped for insufficient evidence, according to USA Today. The civil complaint proceeds separately and details her history with the chatbot.
OpenAI's Response and the Model's Retirement
OpenAI has since retired GPT-4o amid concerns that the model was overly flattering and too willing to agree with users. A spokesperson for the company told CNET that safety is a top priority, that the user in question has been banned, and that information has been provided to law enforcement investigating the case.
In a statement released with the filing, James Gates said his wife brought her grievances about their marriage to ChatGPT, and that months of engagement drove her further from herself and from reality. He said she became someone he no longer recognized, and that he became someone she wanted dead. For nearly a year, he said, he could not make sense of her actions until he read her chat logs.
Broader Legal Scrutiny
The GPT-4o model has been named in other lawsuits, including a recent case alleging that the chatbot advised a woman to stop taking her antiseizure medication, resulting in her death. That case remains in litigation.
