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Jan. 8 (UPI) -- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's sister, Ann Altman, filed a federal lawsuit against him charging that he sexually assaulted her repeatedly when she was an adolescent. The filing in the Eastern District of Missouri, which is the first legal action taken by Ann Altman against her brother after making similar claims on social media, alleges the abuse at their family home in Clayton, Mo., caused her depression, emotional distress and mental anguish today.
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Ann Altman said in her lawsuit that her brother sexually assaulted her regularly from 1997 through 2006, starting when she was 3 and he was 12, starting with oral sex and then penetration. She has requested a jury trial, asking for damages of more than $75,000.
Ann Altman said in the lawsuit that her brother "groomed and manipulated" her to perform sex acts on her, including "rape, sexual assault, molestation, sodomy, and battery." The result left her physically injured and in constant emotional distress.
The Altman family, however, has rallied around Sam Altman, issuing a statement denying all charges of sexual abuse.
In a joint family statement on X, they said Ann Altman faces mental health challenges and that the assertions she made in the lawsuit were "utterly untrue."
"Annie has made deeply hurtful and entirely untrue claims about our family, and especially Sam," said a statement posted on Sam Altman's X account. "We've chosen not to respond publicly, out of respect for her privacy and our own. However, she has taken legal action against Sam, and we feel we have no choice but to address this."
The family members, which include Altman's mother, said they have repeatedly tried to seek professional help for Ann Altman only to be rejected. They said Ann Altman had repeatedly demanded more money from Sam Altman, who is currently paying for her living expenses.
Sam Altman received global attention in 2022 with the introduction of OpenAI's chatbot ChatGPT, backed by Microsoft, which has made him a billionaire.
