Synopsis
Annie Altman has reignited her legal battle against her brother, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, accusing him of sexual abuse dating back more than two decades. Sam has categorically denied her allegations and is taking legal action against her for defamation, with the case now in the hands of a St. Louis federal court.Lawyers for Sam Altman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Annie Altman has accused her brother of sexually abusing and raping her at various times between 1997 and 2006 at the family home in suburban Clayton, Missouri. She said the abuse began when she was three and he was 12. Sam Altman is now 40. On March 20, U.S. District Judge Zachary Bluestone in St. Louis said Annie Altman's standalone sexual assault and sexual battery claims expired in 2008, but the Missouri statute let some accusers sue over alleged abuse from long ago.
Sam Altman's defamation claim stemmed from social media posts by his sister that referred to alleged abuse, including a video that said "an almost tech billionaire" molested her.
The Altman family has said Annie Altman has mental health challenges. In a court filing, Sam Altman said his family has been helping her, including financially, but that her lawsuit amounted to extortion. Sam Altman co-founded OpenAI. He became a face of the artificial intelligence boom after the AI chatbot ChatGPT was released in 2022. Forbes magazine says Sam Altman is worth $3.3 billion.
