A civil case involving OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has moved into a new phase after his sister, Annie Altman, filed an amended complaint in federal court in St. Louis. The revised filing accuses Sam Altman of repeated sexual abuse between 1997 and 2006, while the court has allowed the matter to continue under Missouri’s child sexual abuse statute.
Judge said standalone claims were too late, but left a path open
In a March 20 ruling, U.S. District Judge Zachary Bluestone found that Annie Altman’s standalone sexual assault and sexual violence claims had passed the statute of limitations in 2008. At the same time, he said Missouri law permits lawsuits over alleged child sexual abuse from many years earlier, giving her until April 3 to refile.
Annie Altman then submitted an amended complaint in early April, restructuring the case around Missouri’s child abuse law rather than the claims the court found time-barred.
The amended filing centers on alleged abuse during childhood
According to the complaint, Annie Altman alleges that the abuse took place in the family home in Clayton, Missouri, over a period running from 1997 to 2006. She says the abuse began when she was 3 years old and Sam Altman was 12, and that it continued for years.
Before the court filing, Annie Altman had made similar accusations on social media. In one video, she referred to “someone who almost became a tech billionaire” as her abuser. Those accusations are now part of the court dispute.
Sam Altman denies the allegations and is pursuing a defamation counterclaim
Sam Altman has denied all allegations and filed a defamation counterclaim. In court records, he argues that the accusations were fabricated after family members refused what he described as Annie Altman’s demand for “unlimited financial support.”
The Altman family also released a statement saying Annie Altman has struggled with mental health issues for years and that relatives have provided her with financial help over a long period. The family described the lawsuit as “extortion.” In the same March 20 ruling, the judge allowed Sam Altman’s defamation case to proceed as well.
The case remains active as scrutiny widens beyond the courtroom
The matter is still being litigated, and the two sides remain sharply at odds. The report said the family dispute is not directly tied to OpenAI’s operations, but it comes just after the company completed a $122 billion funding round and reached a reported $852 billion valuation, placing extra attention on the legal controversy surrounding its chief executive.