(CN) — The parents of Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI researcher who died last November, filed a wrongful death lawsuit Monday against his San Francisco apartment complex, claiming it was involved in a cover-up that included tampering with surveillance footage, destroying evidence and obstructing the investigation into their son’s death.
In the lawsuit filed in San Francisco Superior Court by attorney Phoenix Thottam, the deceased researcher’s parents challenge the police department’s ruling that Balaji died by suicide. Plaintiffs Poornima Ramarao and Ramamurthy Balaji are seeking at least $1 million in damages from Alta Laguna LLC, which owns the Alchemy Apartments complex, and Holland Partner Group LLC, a property management company.
Balaji, 26, was found dead in his apartment on Nov. 26, 2024. Police initially ruled he took his own life, and the city’s medical examiner confirmed that finding. But his parents describe him as having “a promising career and no suicidal ideation.”
Balaji had worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before leaving in August 2024. He became a whistleblower, raising concerns about the company’s use of copyrighted material to train its AI systems, and had indicated he would testify in copyright lawsuits against the company.
His parents emphasize his whistleblowing activities in their lawsuit, saying that: “Suchir Balaji’s work as an AI researcher included whistleblowing activities concerning misconduct at OpenAI in the six-months preceding his...
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