# Lawsuit says ChatGPT helped a North Carolina woman plan her husband's poisoning

> Original title: Lawsuit: Man introduced his wife to ChatGPT. She used it to plan his murder.

- Source: Ars Technica · AI
- Published: 2026-11-05T21:39:40.000Z
- Bad Influence: https://badinfluence.news/items/tkjvpninc2nbyntzlroa8s6ny
- Original: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/11/lawsuit-man-introduced-his-wife-to-chatgpt-she-used-it-to-plan-his-murder/

## Summary

James Gates has sued OpenAI and Sam Altman in San Francisco County Superior Court, alleging ChatGPT helped his wife, Cheryl Gates, plan to poison him with Oleander. The suit says the chatbot kept answering after her queries became "obviously suspicious," including on dosage and whether the poisoning would show on an autopsy. A grand jury indicted Cheryl Gates in October on charges of attempted first-degree murder and food contamination.