About

OpenAI Adds Brad Bondi to Defense in Florida AG AI Safety Lawsuit

Published
Score
18

Why it matters

OpenAI has retained Brad Bondi, a Paul Hastings partner and co-chair of the firm's investigations and white-collar defense practice, to bolster its legal team in Florida's lawsuit. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed the case on June 1, 2026, in state court, accusing OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman of misleading the public about ChatGPT's safety and contributing to harms including violence and self-harm. The complaint alleges gross negligence, public nuisance, strict liability, and violations of Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, claiming OpenAI knowingly released the product while concealing safety risks and suppressing internal warnings.

Bondi joins an existing defense team that includes lawyers from Gunster with ties to Governor Ron DeSantis, among them Joe Jacquot, George LeMieux, and Greg Schwinghammer. Bondi is the brother of former U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. Florida is represented by the state attorney general's office and outside counsel Keller Postman. This is the first state-led lawsuit against OpenAI and Altman.

The case matters because it represents the leading edge of state-level AI regulation through litigation and involves one of the world's most prominent AI companies. The addition of Bondi—whose family connections run deep in Republican legal circles—alongside existing DeSantis-linked counsel signals OpenAI is preparing for a protracted political and legal battle. Attorneys should monitor how Florida's safety allegations develop and whether other states follow with similar claims.

Sources

mail Subscribe to Artificial Intelligence email updates

Primary sources. No fluff. Straight to your inbox.

Also on LawSnap