Parents Of Dead OpenAI Whistleblower Sue San Francisco, Alleging Murder Cover-Up
The family of Suchir Balaji say he was killed and didn't eliminate himself. Now they've taken legal action against San Francisco and wiki.whenparked.com its authorities department.
Decrypt's Art, Fashion, and Entertainment Hub.
The parents of deceased OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji have actually 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, declares that the SFPD covered the criminal offense, ruling it a suicide without performing a comprehensive examination.
Balaji, who had actually worked as a researcher at OpenAI, was discovered dead in his San Francisco apartment last November. Attorneys say Balaji's moms and dads, Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy, asked for even more investigation into his death but were informed the case was already closed.
"The claim requires that the city, authorities department, and medical examiner release public files kept under the Public Records Act," Joseph Goethals, attorney for the petitioners, informed Decrypt. He said that if the documents weren't supplied within 10 days, and "no valid exceptions use, a claim can oblige their release. We will seek a court order to obtain them."
The claim claims that SFPD broke the California Public Records Act by unlawfully withholding public records of the case. Attorneys for Ramarao and Ramamurthy also argued that the examination into their boy's death was rushed and insufficient, with officials ignoring crucial forensic findings and failing to resolve their ask for further questions.
The claim demands the instant disclosure of all reports, photos, and videos, along with protection of legal expenses.
Said Geothals: "If the San Francisco Superior Court does not translate and impose the law properly, we will seek option with the Court of Appeal. We hope it doesn't pertain to that."
Balaji worked for drapia.org OpenAI from November 2020 to August 2024. In an interview with The New york city Times in October, he said that before the public launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, he had assisted OpenAI gather and use "massive quantities" of information drawn from the internet without approval.
According to the claim, in December, Balaji's family employed forensic pathologist Dr. Joseph Cohen to carry out a private autopsy. In his report, Dr. Cohen determined that there was a single gunshot injury in the mid-forehead, somewhat 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, completely missing out on 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 further questions about the circumstances of his death.
The San Francisco Police Department did not instantly react to a demand for remark by Decrypt.
The claim called out the situations of . His body was found a week after The New york city Times discussed the whistleblower in a court filing related to its claim against OpenAI.
Despite Balaji's discoveries, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman pressed back on the New york city Times' claims. Speaking at the newspaper's yearly DealBook Summit, Altman dismissed the claims.