Parents Of Dead OpenAI Whistleblower Sue San Francisco, Alleging Murder Cover-Up
The household of Suchir Balaji say he was murdered and didn't kill himself. Now they've taken legal action against San Francisco and its police department.
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The parents of deceased OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji have taken legal action against the city of San Francisco and the San Francisco Police Department, alleging that the real reason for his death was not suicide, however murder.
The claim, filed in January, alleges that the SFPD covered up the criminal offense, ruling it a suicide without conducting a comprehensive examination.
Balaji, who had worked as a scientist at OpenAI, was found dead in his San Francisco apartment or condo last November. Attorneys state Balaji's parents, Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy, requested further investigation into his death however were told the case was already closed.
"The claim demands that the city, police department, and medical inspector release public files withheld under the general public Records Act," Joseph Goethals, attorney for the petitioners, informed Decrypt. He said that if the files weren't provided within 10 days, and "no valid exceptions apply, a claim can oblige their release. We will seek a court order to obtain them."
The claim claims that SFPD breached the California Public Records Act by unlawfully withholding public records of the case. Attorneys for Ramarao and Ramamurthy likewise argued that the investigation into their son's death was rushed and insufficient, with authorities overlooking crucial forensic findings and failing to address their demands for more questions.
The claim requires the immediate disclosure of all reports, photos, and videos, along with coverage of legal costs.
Said Geothals: "If the San Francisco Superior Court does not interpret and enforce the law properly, we will seek option with the Court of Appeal. We hope it doesn't pertain to that."
Balaji worked for OpenAI from November 2020 to August 2024. In an interview with The New york city Times in October, he said that before the general public launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, yewiki.org he had assisted OpenAI collect and utilize "enormous quantities" of data taken from the web without consent.
According to the claim, in December, Balaji's family worked with forensic pathologist Dr. Joseph Cohen to perform a private autopsy. In his report, Dr. Cohen identified that there was a single gunshot wound in the mid-forehead, slightly to the right of the bridge of his nose.
Dr. Cohen said that the bullet trajectory was unusual for a suicide, as it traveled downward at a small left-to-right angle, totally missing the brain before lodging in the brainstem, according to the match. Dr. Cohen determined a contusion on the back of Balaji's head, which he said raised even more questions about the circumstances of his death.
The Police Department did not right away react to a request for remark by Decrypt.
The claim called out the scenarios of Bilaji's death. His body was found a week after The New york city Times discussed the whistleblower in a court filing associated to its claim against OpenAI.
Despite Balaji's revelations, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman pressed back on the New york city Times' claims. Speaking at the newspaper's annual DealBook Summit, Altman dismissed the claims.