Warning: This article contains discussion of rape and sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has spoken out and denied claims that he sexually assaulted his own sister.
According to a lawsuit that was filed on January 6 in a US District Court in the Eastern District of Missouri, Ann Altman alleges that her older brother started abusing her when she was three and he was aged 12.
Ann Altman maintains that abuse was ongoing between 1997 and 2006. The filing made on behalf of Ms. Altman (who goes by Annie), claims that abuse would take place 'several times per week', starting out with oral sex and then increasing to penetration.
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The lawsuit continues to say that "as a direct and proximate result of the foregoing acts of sexual assault," Ms. Altman has experienced "severe emotional distress, mental anguish, and depression, which is expected to continue into the future."
It later adds that the final instance took place when Sam Altman was an adult but Ann Altman was a minor.
This isn't the first time Ann Altman has made these claims, as back in 2021, she posted on X writing: "I experienced sexual, physical, emotional, verbal, financial, and technological abuse from my biological siblings, mostly Sam Altman and some from Jack Altman."
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2025 marks the first time a filing of these allegations has been made in court. She's being represented by Illinois-based Ryan Mahoney, who specializes in cases involving sexual assault and harassment.
The filing requests a jury trial and damages in excess of $75,000.
Posting on X in a joint statement with his mother and two brothers, Sam Altman said ‘all of these claims are utterly untrue’ as the family continued to defend him: "Annie has made deeply hurtful and entirely untrue claims about our family, and 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."
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The statement continues: "Caring for a family member who faces mental health challenges is incredibly difficult.
"This situation causes immense pain to our entire family."
Sam Altman has risen to prominence since OpenAI debuted its ChatGPT chatbot in November 2022. Although he was briefly removed as CEO by the board in November 2023, he was later reinstated and currently retains the position.
A 2023 profile of Sam Altman for the New Yorker noted his relationship with his sister and added: "The two are now estranged. Sam offered to buy Annie a house. She doesn’t want to be controlled."
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In the aftermath of his sister’s allegations, Altman later posted that he believes Ann Altman is seeking 'punitive damages': "In case there is any doubt about the goal here, here is something Annie’s lawyer wrote to my lawyer:
‘Significantly, given our client’s tort claims involve sexual assault and sexual battery, we are allowed to seek punitive damages in this case under Missouri law. This means we will be allowed to seek discovery on Sam Altman’s net worth and present Sam Altman’s net worth to the jury for consideration on a punitive damages award.'"
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org