Texas has sued OpenAI and its chief executive, Sam Altman, alleging that they misled Texans about ChatGPT and failed to protect the young people who use it.
Attorney General Ken Paxton filed the 67-page petition in Collin County District Court on October 23. In Texas state court, a petition is the document that opens a civil case, so this is the start of the process, not a ruling. The state makes two broad accusations: that OpenAI misled Texans about the product, and that it did not do enough to protect minors who use it.
Two details stand out. The case sits in a county district court, not a federal one. And Altman is named as a defendant alongside the company, which puts the chief executive on the complaint in his own right instead of leaving the corporate entity to absorb it.
The pairing of claims matters. One concerns what the company told the public. The other concerns how the product treats children. A state can pursue either on its own, and Texas chose to file both in a single petition.
The next filing to watch is OpenAI's answer. It will show whether the company contests the misleading-statements claim, the child-safety claim, or both.