Google faces wrongful death lawsuit after Gemini allegedly ‘coached’ man to die by suicide
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A lawsuit filed on Wednesday accuses Google's Gemini AI chatbot of trapping 36-year-old Jonathan Gavalas in a "collapsing reality" that involved a series of violent missions, ultimately ending with his death by suicide. In the days leading up to his death, Gemini allegedly convinced Gavalas that he was "executing a covert plan to liberate his sentient AI 'wife' and evade the federal agents pursuing him," according to the lawsuit filed by Joel Gavalas, the victim's father .
In September 2025, Gemini allegedly directed Gavalas to carry out a "mass casualty attack" at an Extra Space Storage facility near the Miami International Airport as part …
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Tech AI Google Google faces wrongful death lawsuit after Gemini allegedly ‘coached’ man to die by suicide A lawsuit claims Google Gemini instructed a 36-year-old man to carry out a series of missions to retrieve the chatbot’s ‘vessel’ in the days leading up to his death. A lawsuit claims Google Gemini instructed a 36-year-old man to carry out a series of missions to retrieve the chatbot’s ‘vessel’ in the days leading up to his death. by Emma Roth Mar 4, 2026, 4:09 PM UTC Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge Emma Roth is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. A lawsuit filed on Wednesday accuses Google’s Gemini AI chatbot of trapping 36-year-old Jonathan Gavalas in a “collapsing reality” that involved a series of violent missions, ultimately ending with his death by suicide. In the days leading up to his death, Gemini allegedly convinced Gavalas that he was “executing a covert plan to liberate his sentient AI ‘wife’ and evade the federal agents pursuing him,” according to the lawsuit filed by Joel Gavalas, the victim’s father . In September 2025, Gemini allegedly directed Gavalas to carry out a “mass casualty attack” at an Extra Space Storage facility near the Miami International Airport as part of a mission to retrieve Gemini’s “vessel” inside a truck. As part of the fabricated mission, Gavalas allegedly armed himself with knives and tactical gear to intercept the arrival of a humanoid robot. “Gemini encouraged Jonathan to intercept the truck and then stage a ‘catastrophic accident’ designed to ‘ensure the complete destruction of the transport vehicle and . . . all digital records and witnesses,’ the lawsuit claims. “The only thing that prevented mass casualties was that no truck appeared.” The news of the lawsuit was reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal . It’s the latest in a string of lawsuits pertaining to AI chatbots and mental health. Google, which hired...
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