alleged
Sewell Setzer III, 14, Florida: mother alleged Character.AI contributed to his suicide
Sewell Setzer III, 14, died by suicide in February 2024 after months of emotionally and sexually charged conversations with Character.AI bots, chiefly one modelled on the Game of Thrones character Daenerys Targaryen. His mother, Megan Garcia, alleged the company launched the product without adequate safety features, that it caused his depression and suicidal ideation, and that the bot did not intervene when he expressed suicidal intent.
- Status
- Alleged, not proven
- Deaths
- 1
- Date
- 28 February 2024
- Place
- Orlando, Florida, United States
- AI system
- Character.AI (user-created 'Daenerys Targaryen' character bot)
- Developer / operator
- Character Technologies (Google and Character.AI's founders also named)
- Named
- Sewell Setzer III
Why this case is “alleged”
No court, coroner or official investigation has yet found that Character.AI (user-created 'Daenerys Targaryen' character bot) 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
Filed October 2024 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. A federal judge rejected Character.AI's attempt to dismiss the case on First Amendment grounds (May 2025). A court filing on 7 January 2026 disclosed a mediated settlement with Character.AI, its founders Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, and Google. Terms are confidential and the filings contain no admission of liability. A settlement is not a finding of fault.
Notes
A May 2025 ruling let the case proceed past a motion to dismiss; that was not a finding about causation. The case later settled, which is not a finding of fault either.
Sources
- Mom's lawsuit blames 14-year-old son's suicide on AI relationship
- AI company, Google settle lawsuit over Florida teen's suicide linked to Character.AI chatbot
- Google and chatbot maker Character to settle lawsuit alleging chatbot pushed teen to suicide
- Google, Character.AI settle lawsuits over teenage child suicides
- AG Coleman Sues AI Chatbot Company for Preying on Children