Sam Altman, the co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, has strongly denied allegations made by his sister, Ann Altman, in a lawsuit filed this week. The lawsuit claims that Sam s*xually abused her for nearly a decade, from 1997 to 2006.
According to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Missouri, Ann alleges that the abuse began when she was three years old and Sam was 12, occurring at their family home in suburban St. Louis. The suit describes the abuse as including rape, s*xual assault, molestation, sodomy, and battery.
Ann further claims that the last incidents of abuse took place when she was still a minor and Sam had become an adult.
In response, Sam Altman, along with his mother and brothers, issued a joint statement refuting the allegations. The statement describes the claims as false and suggests that Ann has struggled with mental health issues and has rejected conventional treatment.
“These claims are utterly untrue. This situation causes immense pain to our entire family,” the statement, posted on X, said.
Sam also mentioned that Ann continues to demand money from the family, despite receiving financial support.
“Our family loves Annie and is very concerned about her well-being,” the statement continued. “Annie receives monthly financial support, which we expect to continue for the rest of her life. Despite this, Annie continues to demand more money from us.”
Ann’s lawyer, Ryan Mahoney, responded to the family’s statement, saying it is not unusual for family members to deny allegations of sibling abuse. He emphasized that the focus should be on the accusations rather than Ann’s mental health.
“There is no evidence that her own mental health has contributed to her allegations,” Mahoney told the Wall Street Journal.
Ann, who is 30 years old, claims to have suffered from PTSD, emotional distress, depression, and medical expenses due to the alleged abuse. She is seeking at least $75,000 in damages.
She had previously mentioned the abuse on her X account starting in 2021.
The lawsuit was filed under a Missouri law that allows victims of child s*xual abuse to file lawsuits up until their 31st birthday. Ann’s X profile indicates that she turned 31 just two days after the lawsuit was filed.
Sam Altman, 39, is a prominent venture capitalist and the CEO of OpenAI, the company behind the widely popular ChatGPT. As of October, OpenAI had a valuation of $157 billion, backed by Microsoft.
