OpenAI CEO Sam Altman visits “Making Money With Charles Payne” at Fox Business Network Studios in New York, December 4, 2024.
Mike Coppola | Getty Images
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's sister, Ann Altman, filed a lawsuit on Monday alleging that her brother regularly sexually abused her between 1997 and 2006.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, alleges that the abuse occurred in the family home in Clayton, Missouri, and began when Ann, or Annie, was three years old and Sam was 12 years old. giving a statement, she claims that the abuse occurred “several times a week”, starting with oral sex and later penetrative sex.
The lawsuit states that “as a direct and proximate result of the above acts of sexual assault,” the plaintiff experienced “severe emotional distress, mental anguish and depression, which are expected to continue into the future.”
The younger Altman has publicly accused her brother of sexual assault in the past platforms like Xbut this is the first time she takes him to court. She is represented by Ryan Mahoney, whose Illinois-based firm specializes in cases involving sexual assault and harassment.
The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and more than $75,000 in damages.
In the pond statement regarding X along with his mother Connie and brothers Jack and Max, Sam Altman denied the allegations.
“Annie has made deeply hurtful and completely untrue statements about our family, especially Sam,” the statement read. “We have chosen not to respond publicly out of respect for her and our privacy. However, she has now taken legal action against Sam and we feel we have no option but to pursue this matter.”
The response said that “all of these claims are completely false” and added that “this situation is causing enormous pain to our entire family.” They said Ann Altman struggles with “mental health challenges” and “refuses conventional treatment and attacks family members who are genuinely trying to help.”
Sam Altman has gained international prominence since debuting his AI-powered ChatGPT chatbot on OpenAI in November 2022. Powered by Microsoftthe company was recently valued at $157 billion, with funding coming from chipmaker Thrive Capital NvidiaSoftBank and others.
Altman was briefly removed as CEO by OpenAI's board in November 2023, but was quickly reinstated following pressure from investors and employees.
This isn't the only lawsuit the technology executive is facing.
in March Tesla and CEO of SpaceX Elon Musk sued OpenAI and co-founders Altman and Greg Brockman, alleging breach of contract and fiduciary duty. Musk, who now runs rival startup xAI, co-founded OpenAI when it started as a nonprofit in 2015. Musk left the board in 2018 and publicly criticized OpenAI for allegedly abandoning its original mission.
Musk is suing to prevent OpenAI from becoming a for-profit company. In June, Musk withdrew the original complaint filed in state court in San Francisco and later re-filed in federal court.
Last month OpenAI he clapped back against Musk, claiming in a blog post that in 2017 Musk “not only wanted, but created a for-profit company” to serve as the proposed new company structure.
TO WATCH: OpenAI presents for-profit plans
