Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has reportedly refuted his sister Ann Altman‘s allegations of sexual abuse spanning nearly ten years and has filed a defamation lawsuit against her. According to a report in Bloomberg, in a legal document submitted on Friday, March 7, Sam Altman‘s legal team asserted that Ann Altman’s “false statements” had damaged his reputation and inflicted emotional distress. They further alleged that Ann Altman’s lawsuit against him was motivated by an “improper purpose” to coerce him into providing her with unlimited financial support.
In January, Ann Altman claimed that Sam Altman had abused and manipulated her during their childhood in Missouri from the late 1990s to early 2000s. She alleged that the abuse started when she was 3 years old and continued until the final incident, which reportedly took place when he was an adult and she was still a minor. Ms Altman claims her brother “groomed and manipulated” her and performed sex acts on her over several years, including “rape, sexual assault, molestation, sodomy, and battery”, according to her court filing.
Sam Altman vs Ann Altman: Claims and counter claims
Sam Altman, along with his mother and brothers, released a statement at the time, dismissing the allegations as “utterly untrue.” Ryan Mahoney, Ann Altman’s lawyer, described Sam Altman’s counterclaims as “predictable” and “unfortunate.” Altman had then said that he gives his sister monthly financial support, pays her bills and rent, and offered to buy her a house, but that she “continues to demand more money from us”.
Mahoney stated in an email that Ann Altman’s “filings tell the real story,” and they are eager to pursue justice on her behalf. The case is recorded as Altman v. Altman, 25-cv-00017, in the US District Court, Eastern District of Missouri (St. Louis).
