GitLab

The family of Suchir Balaji say he was murdered and didn't eliminate himself. Now they've taken legal action against San Francisco and its cops department.

Decrypt's Art, Fashion, and Entertainment Hub.

The moms and dads 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 cause of his death was not suicide, however murder.

The claim, filed in January, alleges that the SFPD covered the criminal offense, ruling it a suicide without conducting a thorough investigation.

Balaji, who had worked as a researcher at OpenAI, was discovered dead in his San Francisco apartment or condo last November. Attorneys say Balaji's moms and dads, Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy, requested even more investigation into his death but were told the case was already closed.

"The claim requires that the city, authorities department, and medical examiner release public files withheld under the Public Records Act," Joseph Goethals, lawyer for the petitioners, informed Decrypt. He said that if the files weren't provided within 10 days, and "no legitimate exceptions use, a claim can compel their release. We will seek a court order to obtain them."

The claim claims that SFPD violated the California Public Records Act by unlawfully keeping public records of the case. Attorneys for Ramarao and Ramamurthy likewise argued that the examination into their boy's death was hurried and inadequate, with authorities ignoring essential forensic findings and failing to resolve their demands for additional inquiry.

The claim requires the instant disclosure of all reports, wiki.whenparked.com images, and pittsburghpenguinsclub.com videos, together with coverage of legal expenses.

Said Geothals: "If the San Francisco Superior Court does not translate and enforce the law correctly, we will look for option with the Court of Appeal. We hope it does not pertain to that."

Balaji worked for OpenAI from November 2020 to August 2024. In an interview with The New York Times in October, he said that before the public launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, he had assisted OpenAI gather and utilize "massive quantities" of data drawn from the internet without approval.

According to the claim, in December, Balaji's household worked with pathologist Dr. Joseph Cohen to perform a personal autopsy. In his report, Dr. Cohen identified that there was a single gunshot wound 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 took a trip downward at a slight left-to-right angle, entirely missing the brain before lodging in the brainstem, according to the match. Dr. Cohen identified a contusion on the back of Balaji's head, which he said raised even more questions about the situations of his death.

The San Francisco Police Department did not immediately react to an ask for comment by Decrypt.

The claim called out the scenarios of Bilaji's death. His body was discovered a week after The New york city Times mentioned the whistleblower in a court filing associated to its claim against OpenAI.

Despite Balaji's revelations, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman pushed back on the New york city Times' claims. Speaking at the newspaper's annual DealBook Summit, Altman dismissed the claims.