SAN FRANCISCO (Diya TV) — The parents of former OpenAI researcher Suchir Balaji sued the City and County of San Francisco, alleging authorities violated public records laws by refusing to release information on their son’s death.
Balaji, 26, died in what the San Francisco County medical examiner deemed a suicide in his apartment on November 26, 2024. His parents, Poornima Ramarao and Bajami Ramamurthy, claim authorities have thwarted efforts to find out what happened around his death.
“In the two-plus months since their son’s death, petitioners and their counsel have been stymied at every turn,” the lawsuit alleges. The family filed the complaint on Jan. 31, seeking access to records under California’s Public Records Act.
A San Francisco City Attorney’s Office spokesperson, Jen Kwart, said officials would evaluate the complaint once served. “Mr. Balaji’s death is a tragedy, and our hearts go out to his family,” Kwart said.
Balaji, described in the lawsuit as a “child prodigy” in coding, attended the University of California, Berkeley, before working as an AI researcher at OpenAI. By August 2024, he had grown disenchanted with OpenAI’s business model and quit. Two months later, he was featured in a New York Times article accusing the company of plagiarizing copyright content to train ChatGPT.
His parents allege investigators failed to consider his whistleblower status when examining his death. Their attorney, Kevin Rooney, criticized the lack of transparency. “If they’ve closed the case as a suicide, we have a right under the law to see those records,” Rooney said.
A private autopsy conducted by forensic pathologist Dr. Joseph Cohen raised concerns about the official ruling. Cohen found an “atypical” gunshot wound and a contusion on the back of Balaji’s head. His report also noted that the bullet trajectory was downward with a left-to-right angle, missing the brain before lodging in the brain stem.
Balaji’s family hopes the lawsuit will compel authorities to release the requested records and provide clarity on his death.
