OpenAI's Sam Altman sued by sister, alleging years of sexual abuse
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was served with a lawsuit this week from his sister, Ann Altman, alleging he sexually abused her beginning when she was 3.
The suit was filed in Missouri, the site of the Altmans' childhood home where the alleged abuse took place from 1997 to 2006. Ann Altman says the alleged conduct began when her brother was 12 years old and he inappropriately touched her. She says he later sexually abused and raped her. Ann Altman says the abuse continued while her brother was a legal adult.
"At all times relevant herein, Defendant, Sam Altman, groomed and manipulated Plaintiff, Ann Altman, into believing the aforementioned sexual acts were her idea, despite the fact she was under the age of five years old when the sexual abuse began and Defendant was nearly a teenager," part of the lawsuit alleges. "The foregoing level of childhood sexual abuse continued for a period of approximately eight or nine years."
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The Missouri Childhood Sexual Abuse statute allows plaintiffs to file suit against their alleged abusers within a decade of turning 21; Ann Altman is 30.
Ann Altman says the alleged abuse caused her PTSD, severe emotional distress, mental anguish, and depression, and forced her to incur numerous health costs, including mental health care. The suit claims the younger Altman is seeking a sum in excess of $75,000 for punitive damages and the cost of the suit.
Responding to the suit, Sam Altman released an open letter, along with his father, mother, and two brothers, on X. The family claims "Annie" faces "mental health challenges" and they have long supported her personally and financially, and that she continues to demand money from them. The family also acknowledged that the lawsuit is not the first time Ann has accused her brother of abuse, but her lawsuit prompted their public response. They added that Ann has claimed the Altmans have hacked her WiFi and shadowbanned her from X and ChatGPT, the latter of which is the AI-enabled chatbot offshoot of Sam Altman's OpenAI.
"All of these claims are utterly untrue," the Altmans claim in their letter. "This situation causes immense pain to our entire family. It is especially gut-wrenching when she refuses conventional treatment and lashes out at family members who are genuinely trying to help."
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Altman is one of the original founders of OpenAI, along with Elon Musk and others.
Neal joined Mashable’s Social Good team in 2024, editing and writing stories about digital culture and its effects on the environment and marginalized communities. He is the former editorial director of The Advocate and Out magazines, has contributed to the Los Angeles Times, Curbed, and Los Angeles magazine, and is a recipient of the Sarah Pettit Memorial Award for LGBTQ Journalist of the Year Award from the National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association (NLGJA). He lives in Los Angeles with his family.
