Class action sues Superhuman over Grammarly AI using writers' names
Mar 12th 2026
Journalist Julia Angwin is the lead plaintiff in a federal suit accusing Superhuman, owner of Grammarly, of using writers' names in an AI editing tool without permission; the company has disabled the feature pending a redesign.
- Julia Angwin filed a federal class action in the Southern District of New York alleging Superhuman misappropriated the names and identities of writers and editors without consent.
- The complaint seeks class damages it says exceed $5 million but does not specify an exact award amount.
- Grammarly's Expert Review feature presented editing suggestions as if they came from named authors and academics who did not authorize their use.
- Superhuman has disabled the Expert Review feature and apologized, saying it will redesign the tool to give experts control over their representation.
- Angwin's lawyers cite New York and California laws that prohibit commercial use of a person's name or likeness without permission.
- A disclaimer in the product noted the experts had not endorsed the tool, but writers and journalists pushed back and public backlash prompted the feature's removal.