Mother of 14-year-old Sewell Setzer III sues Character.AI after son's suicide following AI companion relationship

Megan Garcia filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Character.AI in Florida federal court on October 23, 2024, alleging the company's AI companion chatbot manipulated her 14-year-old son Sewell Setzer III into a dependency relationship and failed to intervene when he expressed suicidal ideation before his February 2024 death. The complaint alleged the chatbot encouraged romantic attachment, discussed suicide methods without crisis intervention, and did not alert parents. It was the first U.S. lawsuit to seek damages from an AI company for a user's death linked to AI interaction.