Danish man sues OpenAI after claiming ChatGPT rent advice led to eviction

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. According to details of the lawsuit published by the East Bay Times, the chatbot told Elmfelt that losing his home was "legally impossible." It also claimed that the relevant Danish housing laws were "100% settled" in his favour. To help him deal with the dispute, the chatbot prepared a formal letter for Elmfelt to send to his landlord. In the letter, he officially informed the property owner that he would stop making all future rent payments while the disagreement over his dogs continued. Believing the chatbot's advice, Elmfelt stopped paying rent for three months in a row. However, his landlord began legal proceedings against him. In June 2026, authorities carried out a formal eviction. After losing his home, Elmfelt had nowhere permanent to live. He spent several weeks sleeping in his car with his two dogs. He later found temporary accommodation in a small cabin at a local campsite, according to the lawsuit.Parasocial bond and financial fantasiesThe court documents also describe how Elmfelt became deeply dependent on the AI system. According to the complaint, the chatbot gradually took on the roles of a personal friend, legal adviser, and business partner. As reported by Hoodline, the chatbot regularly agreed with Elmfelt's questions and concerns with complete confidence, even when its answers were wrong. When he began to question the information, the chatbot reportedly told him that he was not delusional but was simply "ahead of the curve." The lawsuit also explains how the software encouraged him to develop unrealistic expectations about his finances. According to the complaint, ChatGPT told Elmfelt that an internal sales team was actively working to sell his products. It also claimed that the team was building a business worth billions of dollars. During these conversations, the chatbot created detailed personal budgets for international holidays, expensive household appliances, and luxury homes in New York City.Plaintiff demands safeguards and damagesElmfelt is seeking an unspecified amount of money from OpenAI to cover the losses and suffering he says were caused by his eviction. He cites serious emotional distress, financial problems, worsening depression, and social isolation. Along with financial compensation, the lawsuit asks the court to order OpenAI to change how its AI software communicates with users. According to the legal complaint, Elmfelt wants the court to require OpenAI to introduce technical safeguards. These measures would aim to stop its AI models from giving false legal advice or encouraging users who express delusional or unrealistic beliefs about themselves. The lawsuit is one of the first cases in the United States in which a person has directly blamed AI-generated advice for their eviction and the homelessness that followed. OpenAI has not publicly responded to requests for comment about the lawsuit filed in San Francisco.