Sam Altman's Sister Seeks Legal Action Against Him Over Charges Of Sexual Abuse, OpenAI Chief Reacts
Ann Altman has claimed that her brother and the OpenAI chief abused her sexually when he was officially an adult and she was still a minor.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has been accused of sexually abusing his sister, Ann Altman, between 1997 and 2006. Ann Altman submitted a lawsuit to the US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, claiming that the abuse took place at their family home in Clayton, reported CNBC. As per the complaint, the abuse started when Ann was just three years old and her brother was 12, and it went on till she turned 11 years old. The lawsuit has clarified that Sam Altman allegedly continued to abuse his sister till he turned 20.
The filing stated that these sexually abusive activities took place "several times per week," beginning with oral sex and later involving penetration. The complainant said that this caused her "severe emotional distress, mental anguish, and depression," effects that apparently continue to this day.
Ann Altman has come forward with public accusations of sexual assault against her brother previously too. However, this marks the first instance where she has pursued legal action. The lawsuit requests a jury trial and seeks damages exceeding $75,000.
Sam Altman Reacts
Sam Altman shared a family statement on X as response to these allegations. The statement has reportedly been co-authored by Altman's mother, Connie, and his brothers, Max and Jack. The family members expressed concern for Ann Altman's well-being, and suggested that her accusations might be related to her mental health challenges.
My sister has filed a lawsuit against me. Here is a statement from my mom, brothers, and me: pic.twitter.com/Nve0yokTSX
— Sam Altman (@sama) January 7, 2025
The statement started off with opening lines that read, "Our family loves Annie and is very concerned about her well-being. Caring for a family member who faces mental health challenges is incredibly difficult. We know many families facing similar struggles understand this well."
The statement also emphasised how they have supported Ann in the past, including supporting her financially with rent, medical bills, job opportunities and even offering to buy her a house. They also claimed that despite all this, Ann Altman, continued to demand for more money and made several "deeply hurtful" statements over the years that are "utterly untrue."
The statement added, "Despite this, Annie continues to demand more money from us. In this vein, Annie has made deeply hurtful and entirely untrue claims about our family, especially Sam. We've chosen not to respond publicly, out of respect for her privacy and our own. However, she has now taken legal action against Sam, and we feel we have no choice but to address this."
It further read, "The worst allegation she has made is that she was sexually abused by Sam as a child (she has also claimed instances of sexual abuse from others). Her claims have evolved drastically over time. Newly for this lawsuit, they now include allegations of incidents where Sam was over 18."