OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has secured the dismissal of a lawsuit filed against him by his sister, who alleged that he sexually abused her more than two decades ago.
A U.S. District Judge dismissed the case brought by Annie Altman after she refused to undergo an independent medical examination—a step the court had warned would lead to dismissal if she failed to comply.
Annie Altman alleged that her brother, OpenAI founder Sam Altman, subjected her to repeated sexual abuse between 1997 and 2006. Sam Altman has denied these allegations.
The Altman family stated that Annie Altman struggles with mental health issues and that they have consistently provided her with financial support; they added that the accusations were made in response to her persistent demands for more money.
District Judge Zachary Bluestone noted that, despite being offered numerous accommodations and multiple opportunities, Annie Altman failed to appear for an independent medical examination on three separate occasions and “failed to effectively prosecute her case.”
“Given Annie’s continued violation of her disclosure obligations and her intransigence, which has brought this case to a standstill, the Court has no other choice but to dismiss her claims with prejudice,” he wrote in a written order.
The lawsuit was filed on January 6, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.
In her filings, Annie Altman claimed that the abuse by her brother, Sam Altman, began when she was three years old and he was twelve.
However, Sam Altman—along with his mother and two brothers—issued a joint statement at the time, noting that the family is deeply concerned about Ann Altman’s well-being and has, for years, endeavored to provide her with financial support and look after her health.
The family stated that she receives monthly financial assistance, with her bills and rent covered, and that they have also done their best to help with her medical expenses.
The statement asserted that while the allegations she has leveled against Sam Altman have shifted significantly over time, they are all “completely untrue.”
Sam Altman is a co-founder of OpenAI, the company that launched the widely popular AI chatbot ChatGPT in 2022.