‘Gave her everything but a weapon’: Man sues OpenAI over murder plot claims

A lawsuit filed by a North Carolina man alleges that OpenAI's ChatGPT provided personalised guidance to his wife on how to poison him, allegedly helping her plan an attempt on his life. James Gates claims chatbot conversations played a role in the alleged plot by his wife, Cheryl Harris Gates, who was charged with attempted murder after investigators uncovered evidence linked to the case. The allegations came to light during Gates' appearance on Elizabeth Vargas Reports, where he described how a handwritten note left by his wife led to a police investigation and eventually exposed what he believes was an alleged poisoning attempt. According to a report by News Nation, Gates said he had suffered months of unexplained symptoms, including blackouts, shaking and pain. He initially suspected an illness such as Covid-19 or the flu. The turning point came when he discovered a handwritten note his wife had left on a legal pad. He said it referred to medications, including a generic form of Klonopin, a prescription benzodiazepine and central nervous system depressant, as well as oleander. The note also carried the instruction: "Clear all convos – log out of ChatGPT." Gates handed the note to police, triggering an investigation into the alleged poisoning. "When I read the note, all of the strange things came into focus. It was obviously the most surreal moment of my life," Gates said. "I felt like I was in an episode of a true crime that you see on TV," he added. "She was held in jail for six months. I had no clue at the time why she would do this."

According to Gates, investigators subsequently uncovered extensive evidence and charged his wife with attempted murder. However, he said he struggled for months to understand what could have motivated the alleged plot. "I would have never thought this would happen … I was perplexed," Gates said. "It took me months until I had a semblance of what was going on." Detectives obtained search warrants for his wife's chatbot conversations. However, Gates said investigators initially refused to let him examine the records because the investigation was ongoing. He said he finally gained access to the transcripts in January 2026 after reading an article about teenagers allegedly using chatbots to inflict self-harm. "It wasn't until January 2026 I saw an article about teens inflicting self-harm using chatbots," Gates said. "The more I read the transcripts, the more it sounded like my wife." Meetali Jain, the lawyer representing Gates, said the lawsuit accuses OpenAI of producing a defective product and violating consumer protection laws. Jain alleged that ChatGPT encouraged harmful behaviour and provided information that supported the alleged poisoning plan. "This information was tailored specifically to how Cheryl could poison James, and that information was very personalized…it gave her everything but the weapon," she said.

The lawsuit comes amid growing scrutiny of artificial intelligence companies and questions over their responsibility when users allegedly act on harmful advice generated by chatbots. OpenAI has not publicly responded to the allegations discussed during the interview. NewsNation has previously reported on other alleged poisoning attempts involving spouses. These include a California dermatologist accused of putting drain cleaner in her husband's tea and an Arizona woman accused of spiking her husband's coffee with bleach. In both cases, investigators said the alleged victims became suspicious after experiencing unexplained illnesses and collecting evidence themselves.