Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has issued subpoenas to OpenAI as part of a criminal investigation into the company’s activities and how its flagship product, ChatGPT, handles user threats of harm.
The subpoenas, issued on April 21, 2026, request a sweeping range of internal documents. We’re talking training materials, operational guidelines, organizational charts, employee listings related to ChatGPT, and any records of the company’s cooperation with law enforcement on threats of harm. The document requests cover the period from March 1, 2024 through April 17, 2026, giving investigators more than two years of operational history to sift through.
From subpoenas to a full lawsuit
The investigation didn’t stop at document requests. On June 1, 2026, Florida escalated by filing a civil lawsuit against both OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman personally. The core allegation: that the company knowingly distributed an unsafe product that poses significant risks to its users.
The probe is tied to a 2025 mass shooting at Florida State University, where the suspect reportedly used ChatGPT during the planning stages. The lawsuit accuses OpenAI of failing to implement adequate safeguards, essentially arguing that the company understood the risks its technology posed and shipped it anyway. Naming Altman as a defendant signals that Florida intends to hold leadership personally accountable, not just the corporate entity.
