OpenAI accused of racketeering and conspiracy over Georgia data center plan

Three Effingham County, Georgia, residents sued OpenAI, the county's industrial development authority and local officials on Nov. 6, alleging they worked in secret to secure land, zoning and tax incentives for Project Camellia, OpenAI's proposed $20 billion, 4.4-million-square-foot data center campus near Savannah. The 11-count complaint includes fraud, civil conspiracy and violations of Georgia's civil RICO law, and seeks compensatory and punitive damages plus triple damages on the racketeering count. It cites a nondisclosure agreement the authority signed with OpenAI in October 2025, months before the project was announced. It is the latest of several lawsuits over the project.