Lawsuit against OpenAI CEO in abuse case dismissed in the US: details
This refers to the case brought by Annie Altman against her brother Sam Altman, the chief executive officer of OpenAI. In her claim, she alleged that the abuse allegedly took place at the family home in the suburb of Clayton, Missouri, between 1997 and 2006. According to the case file, at the start of the period in question, she was three years old and he was 12.
The ruling was handed down by Federal Judge Zachary Blustone in St Louis. He concluded that the claims of sexual assault and sexual battery, as currently formulated, could not be considered further, as the limitation period for them, in the court’s view, had expired as early as 2008. That is why the claim has now been dismissed.
At the same time, the court has not closed the door on the plaintiff continuing the dispute. The judge has allowed Annie Altman to file an amended complaint under Missouri’s law on child sexual abuse. Her lawyer, Ryan Mahoney, stated that she will promptly file the updated claim and continue gathering evidence.
Separately, the judge noted that Sam Altman may attempt to file a counterclaim for defamation. The basis for this is said to be Annie Altman’s social media posts between 2021 and 2024, particularly on X and TikTok, where she wrote about alleged abuse by older siblings and mentioned an “almost-tech-billionaire”, usually without naming him directly. The court noted that such wording allows for a reasonable conclusion that Sam Altman was the subject in question, and therefore he may attempt to prove defamation if he can demonstrate actual malice.
Altman himself denies his sister’s allegations. Following the filing of the lawsuit in January 2025, he, his mother and two brothers issued a joint statement in which they called these claims “entirely false”. In court documents, Altman also claimed that the family supports Annie, notably through monthly financial assistance, and described the lawsuit itself as extortion. The family also cited her mental health issues. This is the defence’s position, not a fact established by the court regarding the substance of the allegations.
According to Reuters, the original claim sought at least $75,000 in compensation, as well as punitive damages for alleged psychological harm, including PTSD, depression, mental anguish and emotional distress. In its current report, Bloomberg briefly summarised the outcome of this procedural stage: the head of OpenAI secured the dismissal of the lawsuit, but only ‘for now’, meaning the case has not been definitively closed.
The case is being closely monitored due to Altman’s public profile as one of the most prominent figures in the artificial intelligence boom following the launch of ChatGPT. Meanwhile, Reuters notes that he remains a party to another major legal dispute – Elon Musk’s lawsuit regarding the transformation of OpenAI into a commercial company. This dispute is unrelated to the sister case but adds further public resonance to it.
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