OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman has won a dismissal of a lawsuit brought against him by his sister that claimed he had sexually abused her more than two decades ago. A US district judge dismissed the case after Ann Altman had refused to attend an independent medical examination, adding she was warned a failure to do so would result in the case being thrown out. Ann Altman had claimed the OpenAI founder had regularly sexually abused her between 1997 and 2006. Sam Altman has denied those accusations.
The Altman family has said Ann Altman has mental health challenges and they have supported her financially, adding the claims were made as she continued to demand more funds. District Judge Zachary Bluestone said that despite multiple accommodations and multiple opportunities to do so, Ann Altman did not appear for an independent medical exam on three separate occasions, and “failed to meaningfully prosecute her case”. “Because Annie has continued to violate her discovery obligations and forced this case to a halt through her intransigence, the Court has run out of options and, thus, dismisses her claims with prejudice,” he said in his written order. The case was filed on 6 January 2025 in the Eastern District of Missouri.
In it, Ann Altman claimed that her older brother Sam Altman began abusing her when she was three, and he was 12. However, in a joint statement released by Sam Altman along with his mother and two brothers at the time, the family said they were concerned for Ann Altman’s wellbeing and have spent years trying to support her financially and to look after her wellbeing. The family said she receives monthly financial support, and her bills and rent were also covered, while also trying to assist with medical help. The statement said her claims against Sam Altman had changed drastically over time, but all of those claims were “utterly untrue”.
Sam Altman is the co-founder of OpenAI, which launched its popular ChatGPT artificial intelligence chatbot in 2022. If you’ve been affected by the issues in this story, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line.
