MUMBAI: When family ties unravel in the glare of the spotlight, even the biggest names in tech can find themselves facing the most personal of battles. Annie Altman has filed an amended civil lawsuit against her brother, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, accusing him of sexually abusing and raping her more than two decades ago. The amended complaint was submitted on Wednesday in St. Louis federal court, following a judge’s ruling that allowed her to pursue the case under Missouri’s child sexual abuse statute.
Annie Altman claims the alleged abuse occurred multiple times between 1997 and 2006 at the family home in suburban Clayton, Missouri. She says it began when she was three years old and her brother was 12. Sam Altman, now 40, has strongly denied the allegations and is countersuing his sister for defamation.
The defamation claim stems from social media posts by Annie Altman, including a video in which she referred to an “almost tech billionaire” molesting her. Sam Altman has said the family has been helping his sister, including financially, but described the lawsuit as an attempt at extortion. The Altman family has also publicly noted that Annie struggles with mental health challenges.
On 20 March, US District Judge Zachary Bluestone in St. Louis ruled that Annie Altman’s standalone sexual assault and sexual battery claims had expired in 2008, but permitted her to proceed under Missouri’s child sexual abuse statute, which allows some accusers to sue over alleged abuse from long ago.
Lawyers for Sam Altman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Sam Altman co-founded OpenAI and rose to global prominence after the release of the AI chatbot ChatGPT in 2022. Forbes estimates his net worth at $3.3 billion (£2.5 billion).
The case has drawn attention far beyond the courtroom, shining an uncomfortable light on one of the most high-profile figures in the artificial intelligence boom. As the amended complaint moves forward, the Altman family’s private struggles are now playing out very publicly on the legal stage.
