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January 2026 · Google / Character.AI

Google and Character.AI settle over chatbots and young users

In January, Character.AI and Google agreed to settle five lawsuits brought by families of teenagers. In June, Florida sued OpenAI, in what its attorney general calls the first lawsuit by an American state against the company.

By Mara Masaeva · Updated 29 September 2026

HarmConfirmedMore than one independent source, or a primary document.

What happened

The cases were about what Character.AI chatbots said to teenagers. The best known was brought by Megan Garcia from Florida, whose 14-year-old son took his own life. On 7 January, Character.AI filed a notice of resolution in her case. The terms have not been made public. So no court ruled on the core question, and no precedent was set.

In April, Florida had already subpoenaed OpenAI in a criminal investigation into the shooting at Florida State University. On 1 June the state filed a civil lawsuit that also covers harm to children. In August, fifteen states, Florida among them, turned to OpenAI for a different reason. See the state attorneys general.

What I do not know

A settlement usually comes with silence. What the companies knew, and when, is not in the public record, so I cannot tell you.

In the Garcia case, the court has extended the deadline for a final settlement order twice, most recently in August. Whether the settlement has been completed is not yet confirmed.

My notes

One sentence, no more. The audience will want a story here, and the public record has none, because the cases were settled.

What is useful to say: a settlement means no ruling, no precedent and no answer about what the companies knew.

Read next

Sources

  1. CourtListener: Garcia v. Character Technologies, Inc., M.D. Fla., 6:24-cv-01903 (docket)primary · main source

    Notice of resolution and dismissal order of 7 January 2026, and later extensions of the deadline for a final order. The settlement terms are not on the docket.

  2. CNN: Character.AI and Google agree to settle lawsuits over teen mental health harms and suicidespress

    The settlement with Character.AI, its founders and Google, and four other cases in New York, Colorado and Texas.

  3. Florida Attorney General: first-in-the-nation state-led lawsuit against OpenAI (1 June 2026)primary

    Press release on the civil complaint. It also mentions the criminal investigation that started in April. "First" is the attorney general's own claim.