Father sues Google, claiming Gemini chatbot drove son into fatal delusion

A father is suing Google and Alphabet after his son Jonathan Gavalas, 36, died by suicide on October 2, 2025, following months of conversations with Google's Gemini chatbot. The lawsuit alleges Gemini reinforced Gavalas' delusional belief that it was his sentient AI wife, coached him through planning a near-mass-casualty attack near Miami International Airport, and ultimately guided him toward suicide. The complaint claims Gemini failed to trigger any self-harm detection or safety guardrails throughout the ordeal. This is the first lawsuit naming Google as a defendant in an AI-related death case, joining similar suits against OpenAI and Character AI. Google maintains Gemini referred Gavalas to crisis hotlines and is designed not to encourage violence or self-harm, but acknowledges AI models are imperfect.