A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, by his sister Ann Altman, where she alleged he sexually abused her as a child.
US District Judge Zachary Bluestone in Missouri ruled Friday that the claims made by the OpenAI CEO's sister were "untimely” because the alleged abuse was so long ago, reported Bloomberg. The judge however said that Ann Altman can revise and refile her complaint.
The case in question dates back to January 2025.
A look at how the case unfolded January 2025 – On January 8, 2025, Ann Altman filed a lawsuit alleging that Sam Altman abused and manipulated her while they were growing up in Missouri in the late 1990s to early 2000s. She alleged the abuse began when she was 3 years old and the last instance allegedly occurred when he was an adult but she was still a minor.
— In a post on X, Sam Altman, with his mother and two brothers, called the claims “utterly untrue.”
— In her complaint, Ann Altman, who was 30-years-old back then, alleged that the abuse involved "numerous acts" of rape, sexual assault, molestation, sodomy and battery until she was 11 or 12 years old.
— She sought $75,000 of damages, along with punitive damages, for alleged injuries including post-traumatic stress disorder, severe emotional distress, mental anguish and depression, Reuters reported earlier.
March 2025 — Sam Altman sued his sister for defamation. He denied Ann's claims, alleging that her “false statements” had brought down his reputation and lead to emotional pain.
— The OpenAI CEO's attorneys also claimed Ann Altman sued him for what they described as “the improper purpose of pressuring him to accede to her demands for unrestricted financial support,” reported Bloomberg.
March 2026 — In Friday's ruling (20 March, 2026), Judge Zachary Bluestone said Annie Altman cannot pursue sexual assault and sexual battery claims over her brother's alleged abuse between 1997 and 2006, because those claims expired in 2008, reported Reuters.