OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is facing renewed allegations from his sister after she filed an amended lawsuit in federal court accusing him of sexually abusing her during their childhood.
According to the filing submitted Wednesday, April 1, in St. Louis, and obtained by Reuters, Annie Altman reworked her case after a judge ruled last month that she could continue pursuing claims under Missouri’s childhood sexual abuse statute, even though her original sexual assault and battery claims had expired years earlier.
In the amended complaint, Annie alleges that the abuse took place repeatedly between 1997 and 2006 at the family’s home in Clayton, Missouri. She claims the abuse began when she was 3 years old and Sam was 12.
The filing accuses the OpenAI chief executive of rape, molestation, sexual assault, and other abuse over nearly a decade. Sam has denied the allegations.
The case returned to court after U.S. District Judge Zachary Bluestone ruled on March 20 that Annie’s original claims were filed too late under Missouri’s standard deadlines. However, the judge said Missouri’s Childhood Sexual Abuse law created a possible path for the lawsuit to move forward.
Under Missouri law, survivors of childhood sexual abuse may have additional time to file civil claims tied to abuse that occurred years earlier. Missouri currently allows many survivors to sue until age 31, and lawmakers have proposed extending that window even further.
Judge Bluestone dismissed the earlier complaint without ruling on whether the allegations themselves were true. “One of the only points of agreement in this case is that the claims are disturbing,” Bluestone wrote in his earlier ruling, per Business Insider, adding that they would be “particularly so if they prove true but nonetheless unfortunate if not.”
Annie’s attorney, Ryan Mahoney, said the ruling was strictly procedural and “has no bearing on the substance” of her claims.
At the same time, the judge allowed Sam’s countersuit to proceed. The OpenAI co-founder has accused his sister of defamation and abusing the legal system, arguing that she fabricated the allegations after the family refused what he described as demands for greater financial support.
His legal filing points to social media posts and videos in which Annie referred to being abused by “an almost tech billionaire.”
Forbes currently estimates his net worth at $3.3 billion.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual abuse, help is available. Contact the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673 or visit RAINN Support Resources for confidential support.
