OpenAI's Sam Altman faces sexual abuse lawsuit filed by sister
08 Jan 2025

OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman is facing a lawsuit from his sister Ann Altman, who has accused him of sexual abuse.

The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court in the Eastern District of Missouri on Monday.

Ann claims the abuse occurred from 1997 to 2006 at their family home in Clayton, Missouri.

The abuse allegedly started when she was three and Sam was 12.

Ann seeks jury trial, damages exceeding $75,000
Legal proceedings

In her lawsuit, Ann says the abuse took place "several times per week" and started as oral sex but later turned into penetration.

She claims the abuse has caused her "severe emotional distress, mental anguish, and depression."

This is the first time she has taken legal action against her brother Sam despite having made similar public allegations in the past.

Represented by Ryan Mahoney, a sexual assault attorney, Ann is seeking a jury trial and damages over $75,000.

Sam denies allegations, cites sister's mental health
Family statement

In response to the lawsuit, Sam, his mother Connie, and brothers Jack and Max issued a joint statement denying the allegations.

They described Ann's claims as "deeply hurtful and entirely untrue."

The family had previously refrained from public responses out of respect for privacy but felt compelled to address the legal action.

They emphasized that "all of these claims are utterly untrue" and pointed out Ann's "mental health challenges."

Altman's OpenAI faces legal challenge from Elon Musk
Additional lawsuit

Apart from his sister's lawsuit, Sam is also dealing with a lawsuit from Elon Musk.

Musk, who co-founded OpenAI as a nonprofit in 2015 and left the board in 2018, has sued OpenAI and its co-founders for breach of contract and fiduciary duty.

His lawsuit seeks to prevent OpenAI from becoming a for-profit company.

The complaint was originally filed in San Francisco state court but refiled in federal court.