The household of Suchir Balaji say he was murdered and didn't kill himself. Now they've taken legal action against San Francisco and its police department.
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The moms and dads of deceased OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji have actually taken legal action against the city of San Francisco and the San Francisco Police Department, alleging that the real reason for his death was not suicide, however murder.
The claim, submitted in January, that the SFPD covered the crime, ruling it a suicide without performing a thorough investigation.
Balaji, who had worked as a scientist at OpenAI, was discovered dead in his San Francisco apartment last November. Attorneys say Balaji's moms and dads, Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy, asked for even more investigation into his death but were told the case was already closed.
"The claim requires that the city, authorities department, and medical inspector release public documents kept under the general public Records Act," Joseph Goethals, lawyer for the petitioners, told Decrypt. He said that if the files weren't provided within 10 days, and "no legitimate exceptions apply, a claim can compel their release. We will look for a court order to obtain them."
The claim claims that SFPD breached 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 kid's death was rushed and wavedream.wiki inadequate, with officials disregarding essential forensic findings and failing to resolve their ask for more inquiry.
The claim demands the immediate disclosure of all reports, images, and videos, together with protection of legal costs.
Said Geothals: "If the San Francisco Superior Court does not analyze and impose the law correctly, we will look for option with the Court of Appeal. We hope it doesn't pertain to that."
Balaji worked for OpenAI from November 2020 to August 2024. In an interview with The New york city Times in October, he said that before the public launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, he had helped OpenAI collect and utilize "massive quantities" of information taken from the internet without permission.
According to the claim, in December, Balaji's family employed forensic pathologist Dr. Joseph Cohen to perform a personal autopsy. In his report, Dr. Cohen identified that there was a single gunshot injury 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 minor left-to-right angle, completely missing out on the brain before lodging in the brainstem, according to the suit. Dr. Cohen recognized a contusion on the back of Balaji's head, which he said raised even more concerns about the situations of his death.
The San Francisco Police Department did not instantly react to an ask for remark by Decrypt.
The claim called out the circumstances of Bilaji's death. His body was found a week after The New York Times discussed the whistleblower in a court filing associated to its claim against OpenAI.
Despite Balaji's discoveries, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman pushed back on the New York Times' claims. Speaking at the newspaper's annual DealBook Summit, Altman dismissed the claims.
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Parents Of Dead OpenAI Whistleblower Sue San Francisco, Alleging Murder Cover-Up
Adrienne Huff edited this page 2025-02-12 18:27:15 +00:00