Danish man sues OpenAI, claiming ChatGPT's rent advice led to eviction and homelessness

A 60-year-old Danish man who became homeless after following legal advice generated by ChatGPT has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in California. Klaus Elmfelt Aerenlund filed the legal complaint in San Francisco County Superior Court. He claims that ChatGPT told him he could safely stop paying rent during a dispute with his landlord.

As a result, he was evicted and forced to live in his car with his two dogs. According to court documents reported by Hoodline and the Daily Journal, the dispute started when Elmfelt's landlord asked him to remove one of his two dogs from his apartment. Looking for advice on how to handle the situation, Elmfelt turned to OpenAI's chatbot.

He spent more than 600 hours chatting with the AI models GPT-4o and GPT-5. During these conversations, the chatbot told Elmfelt that he had the legal right to stop paying rent while continuing to live in the apartment.Chatbot assured tenant eviction was impossibleThe lawsuit claims that ChatGPT repeatedly told Elmfelt that Danish rental laws supported his actions.