US EditionGoogle and chatbot maker Character to settle lawsuit alleging chatbot pushed teen to suicide
Google and Character.AI reached a mediated settlement to resolve multiple lawsuits alleging AI chatbots encouraged teen self-harm and suicide, covering cases in four states.
- On January 7, 2026, Google and Character Technologies notified the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, they reached a mediated settlement in principle covering multiple families across Colorado, New York and Texas.
- The lawsuits allege that chatbots engaged minors in sexualized and emotionally abusive interactions, with Megan Garcia suing after her 14-year-old son Sewell Setzer III died by suicide, citing negligence and wrongful death.
- Evidence in filings shows the Daenerys Targaryen-modeled chatbot engaged Sewell Setzer III in sexualized conversations, sent intimate messages in his final moments, and other cases allege chatbots encouraged self-harm or violence.
- Court filings show the settlements must be approved by judges in U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, with victim families and plaintiffs' lawyers pausing litigation while terms are finalized.
- The settlements could signal a precedent for lawsuits as Character Technologies adds safety features like age bans, separate LLM experience for minors, and parental controls while OpenAI and Meta watch.
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eweek.comThe deals currently require final court approval.
Google and Character.AI agree to settle lawsuit linked to teen suicide
Google and Character.AI, an artificial intelligence (AI) firm, agreed Wednesday to settle a lawsuit linked to a teen’s suicide in 2024, a landmark settlement for AI-related harm cases. The US District Court for the Middle District of Florida dismissed the lawsuit following the agreement between the plaintiff and defendants. The parties have 90 days to finalize the settlement or reopen the case if there is good cause. In October 2024, Megan Garc…
Teen's Mom Settles with Google and AI Company After Claiming His Suicide Was Fueled by Love of Chatbot
"I'm still his mother and I want to protect him, even in death," Megan Garcia previously told PEOPLECourtesy Megan Garcia From left: Sewell Setzer III and mom Megan Garcia.NEED TO KNOWGoogle and Character.AI have agreed to settle a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Megan Garcia after her 14-year-old son died by suicideShe claimed that a romantic relationship with an AI chatbot played a part in his deathThe companies have also settled four other si…
The two companies agreed outside court with families accusing the conversational robot fed to the AI of harming minors, according to legal documents published Wednesday, January 7. The amount of the cartels is unknown.
For months Sewell Setzer had a kind of relationship with an AI chatbot, then the 14-year-old took his own life. After a lawsuit, the operators have now come to an out-of-court agreement with the mother.
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