Edelson PC names OpenAI's policy chief in 30 new suits

Edelson PC filed 30 more lawsuits against OpenAI over the Tumbler Ridge shooting, per TechCrunch. The filings move OpenAI's legal theory from product liability to aiding and abetting. They also name Chris Lehane, OpenAI's policy chief, as an individual defendant.

For OpenAI, that's the difference between a corporate settlement and a case reaching Lehane's personal finances. Product liability claims target a company's product. Aiding and abetting requires proof of knowledge and a specific act that helped cause the harm.

Naming Lehane personally puts his conduct at issue too, since OpenAI's corporate structure doesn't shield individual officers from that kind of claim.

TechCrunch reports the evidence behind the escalated claims hasn't been confirmed. Thirty filings alone don't establish knowledge or intent. The outlet doesn't say what evidence Edelson PC is pointing to.

Watch whether other plaintiffs' firms follow the pattern and start naming policy and safety executives at other AI companies personally.