Texas filed a civil petition in Collin County district court on October 23, 2026, naming six OpenAI entities and CEO Sam Altman as defendants. The state alleges that ChatGPT misled consumers about safety and reliability and failed to protect minors. It asks the court for restrictions and financial remedies. Read the petition.

Who Texas named in the case

The petition names six corporate defendants: OpenAI Global, LLC; OpenAI Foundation (f/k/a OpenAI, Inc.); OpenAI OpCo, LLC; OpenAI Group PBC; OpenAI Holdings, LLC; and OpenAI, LLC. It also names Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, as an individual defendant.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton brought the action on the state’s behalf. The petition pleads two counts under Texas law: the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices–Consumer Protection Act (DTPA), which addresses consumer protection, and the Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment Act (SCOPE Act), which concerns children’s online safety.

Texas alleges that OpenAI made misleading claims about ChatGPT’s safety and reliability, provided inadequate safeguards for minors, and used features that could encourage harmful or compulsive use. Those are allegations in the state’s petition, not findings by a court.

What Texas wants the court to order

Texas asks the court to bar ChatGPT from being offered to minors in the state. The petition also seeks a requirement that a court-approved independent evaluator review and approve safety guardrails before new AI models are released to Texas users. Filing the petition requests these measures; it does not itself impose them.

The state seeks a civil penalty of $10,000 per alleged DTPA violation, including a violation that also constitutes a SCOPE Act violation. The petition also requests disgorgement, interest, court and investigation costs, attorney fees, and other relief. It states that Texas seeks more than $1 million in monetary relief, along with non-monetary relief, and requests a jury trial. These amounts and measures are requests in the petition.

OpenAI’s reported response

In a statement reported on October 23, OpenAI said it works with experts to improve ChatGPT, mitigate risks, and add safeguards. The company also supports safety standards that apply across the AI industry.