Sam Altman denies abuse allegations in a lawsuit from his sister
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks at the Station F in Paris on May 26
By Ramishah Maruf, CNN
New York (CNN) — OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman denied allegations made by his sister in a lawsuit filed Monday, which claimed he sexually abused her for almost a decade.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Missouri, accuses him of sexual assault and sexual battery spanning from 1997 to 2006.
His sister, Ann Altman, alleged the sexual abuse began when she was three years old and her brother was 12 at their family home in suburban St. Louis, Missouri, according to the suit.
The abuse included “numerous acts of rape, sexual assault, sexual abuse, molestation, sodomy, and battery,” according to the lawsuit.
She also alleged the last instances of abuse occurred when she was a minor and her brother was an adult.
CNN has reached out to representation for Sam Altman but has not heard back.
Altman, in a joint statement with his mother and brothers, said the claims were false and that his sister had struggled with mental health issues and “refuses conventional treatment.”
“All of these claims are utterly untrue. The situation causes immense pain to our entire family,” the statement, posted on X Tuesday, said.
Sam Altman said “Annie” continued to demand money from the family despite financial support.
“Our family loves Annie and is very concerned about her well-being,” the statement said. “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.”
In response to the Altman family statement, Ann Altman’s lawyer Ryan Mahoney said that “It is not uncommon for parents and other family members to deny (sexual abuse perpetrated by a sibling). In this case, they are focusing on the wrong sibling.”
Mahoney told the Wall Street Journal “there is no evidence that her own mental health has contributed to her allegations.”
Ann Altman, who was 30 when the lawsuit was filed, claimed she has experienced PTSD and extreme emotional distress, mental anguish and depression and has incurred medical bills as a result, according to the lawsuit. She is seeking at least $75,000 in damages.
Ann Altman had previously alleged abuse on her X account beginning in 2021.
The lawsuit says the claims were brought under a Missouri law allowing child sexual abuse victims to file lawsuits up until their 31st birthday. Ann Altman’s X profile indicates she turned 31 on Wednesday, two days after the lawsuit was filed.
Sam Altman is AI’s biggest star — a 39-year-old venture capitalist and the CEO of OpenAI, which kicked off the artificial intelligence wave with its ChatGPT bot. The Microsoft-backed OpenAI had a $157 billion valuation as of October.
OpenAI did not immediately respond to request for comment.
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