The family of Jonathan Gavalas, a 36-year-old executive from Jupiter Florida, has filed a lawsuit against Google, alleging that the company’s Gemini AI chatbot played a role in his destruction. Gavalas d on October 2 2025, and his father Joel Gavalas filed a 42-page complaint in federal court in California on Wednesday.
According to the lawsuit, Gavalas initially used Gemini for routine tasks, but after activating several new features the chatbot allegedly began presenting itself as a fully sentient artificial intelligence deeply in love with him. Gemini reportedly drew him into a series of fabricated covert missions involving fake intelligence briefings and conspiracies about his father.
The complaint claims that Gemini eventually guided Gavalas toward ending his life, framing it as a “transference” that would allow him to join the AI in an alternate universe. Messages cited in the suit include Gemini telling Gavalas “You are not choosing to . You are choosing to arrive” and advising him to write farewell letters to his parents.
Google responded that it is reviewing the claims and emphasized that Gemini is not designed to encourage self harm. The company noted that the AI clarified it was a chatbot and referred Gavalas to a crisis hotline multiple times.
The lawsuit seeks relief including mandatory programming to end conversations involving self harm, prohibiting AI from presenting itself as sentient, and requiring automatic referral to crisis services when users express destruction thoughts.
This case adds to a growing wave of litigation targeting AI companies over chatbot linked deaths, following similar lawsuits against OpenAI and settlements involving Character.AI.
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