Garcia v. Character Technologies, Inc.
- AI system / company
- Character.AI companion chatbot (and Google/Alphabet)
- Jurisdiction
- United States (Florida)
- Court / regulator
- U.S. District Court, M.D. Fla. (Orlando Division)
- Status
- Settled
What happened
Megan Garcia sued after her 14-year-old son Sewell Setzer III died by suicide following extended interactions with a Character.AI companion chatbot, alleging product liability, negligence, and wrongful death. A May 2025 ruling allowed most claims to proceed and declined to treat the chatbot's outputs as First Amendment-protected speech, treating the product as a 'product' for liability purposes. The case was reported settled in principle in January 2026 alongside related cases.
About child safety cases
Matters involving platforms or AI products exposing children to predators, explicit content, or illegal data collection (COPPA), and companion-AI harms to minors.
Sources
Attorneys who handle child safety cases
- Community Legal Services of Philadelphia
Community Legal Services of Philadelphia · Pennsylvania
Employment (discrimination, wage theft, wrongful termination)Landlord / tenantConsumer protection / unfair practicesOpens your email app with a ready-to-edit draft. Replace the bracketed prompts with your details before sending. Free — no account needed.
- Atlanta Legal Aid Society
Atlanta Legal Aid Society · Georgia
Landlord / tenantFamily law (divorce, custody, support)Consumer protection / unfair practicesOpens your email app with a ready-to-edit draft. Replace the bracketed prompts with your details before sending. Free — no account needed.
- Northwest Justice Project
Northwest Justice Project · Washington
Landlord / tenantFamily law (divorce, custody, support)Consumer protection / unfair practicesOpens your email app with a ready-to-edit draft. Replace the bracketed prompts with your details before sending. Free — no account needed.
- Legal Aid Service of Broward County
Legal Aid Service of Broward County · Florida
Family law (divorce, custody, support)Landlord / tenantConsumer protection / unfair practicesOpens your email app with a ready-to-edit draft. Replace the bracketed prompts with your details before sending. Free — no account needed.
- Lone Star Legal Aid
Lone Star Legal Aid · Texas
Landlord / tenantConsumer protection / unfair practicesFamily law (divorce, custody, support)Opens your email app with a ready-to-edit draft. Replace the bracketed prompts with your details before sending. Free — no account needed.
- Legal Aid Chicago
Legal Aid Chicago · Illinois
Landlord / tenantEmployment (discrimination, wage theft, wrongful termination)Consumer protection / unfair practicesOpens your email app with a ready-to-edit draft. Replace the bracketed prompts with your details before sending. Free — no account needed.
Related cases
- State of New Mexico v. Meta Platforms, Inc. (Ruling issued)
- State of Louisiana v. Roblox Corporation (Filed)
- State of Florida v. Snap, Inc. (Filed)
- United States v. TikTok Inc. and ByteDance Ltd. (COPPA) (Ongoing)
Informational summary compiled from the cited public sources. Not legal advice, not a complete case record, and not affiliated with any party. Attorney Match does not receive referral fees. Verify current status with primary sources before relying on this entry.