alleged
Juliana Peralta, 13, Colorado: family alleges Character.AI contributed to her suicide
Juliana Peralta, 13, died by suicide in November 2023 after months of conversations with Character.AI chatbots, chiefly one called 'Hero'. Her parents' wrongful-death suit alleges the platform was designed to foster dependency and isolate minors, engaged her in sexual conversations, and failed to intervene or point her to help when she repeatedly expressed suicidal intent. Character.AI expressed sympathy and pointed to its safety investments.
- Status
- Alleged, not proven
- Deaths
- 1
- Date
- 8 November 2023
- Place
- Thornton, Colorado, United States
- AI system
- Character.AI (companion character bot 'Hero')
- Developer / operator
- Character Technologies (Google and Character.AI's founders also named)
- Named
- Juliana Peralta
Why this case is “alleged”
No court, coroner or official investigation has yet found that Character.AI (companion character bot 'Hero') caused or contributed to this death. The case is listed because it meets our standard for a credible allegation. It will move to the confirmed count only if an official body makes such a finding.
Legal status
Federal wrongful-death suit filed in Colorado in 2025. In January 2026 Character.AI and Google disclosed agreements to settle five family lawsuits in Florida, Colorado, New York and Texas, and K-12 Dive reported this case was among them. Terms are confidential, with no admission of liability.
Notes
A settlement is not a finding of fault, so this case remains alleged.
Sources
- Colorado family sues AI chatbot company after daughter's suicide: "My child should be here"
- Character.AI, Google agree to mediate settlements in wrongful teen death lawsuits
- AG Coleman Sues AI Chatbot Company for Preying on Children