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The interior of a courthouse in Kirksville, Missouri. File photo.
US Judge Dismisses Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman
ST. LOUIS, Missouri — October 20, 2026
A US federal judge has dismissed a civil lawsuit filed by Annie Altman, the sister of OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, who accused him of sexually abusing her over several years when they were children and teenagers. Sam Altman has denied the allegations.
US District Judge Zachary Bluestone dismissed the case after Annie Altman failed to attend an independent medical examination, according to the court’s decision. The judge said she had been warned that failing to attend the examination could result in the lawsuit being dismissed.
Annie Altman’s lawyer, Laura Politi, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Santos Perez, who previously represented Annie Altman before withdrawing from the case earlier in October, said he was no longer authorized to comment but continued to believe in her.
Lawyers representing Sam Altman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Annie Altman filed the lawsuit in federal court in St. Louis in January 2025. She alleged that her brother sexually abused and raped her between 1997 and 2006 at the family home in Clayton, a suburb of St. Louis. Her complaint said the alleged abuse began when she was three years old and Sam Altman was 12, and continued into his adulthood.
Sam Altman, now 41, has denied the accusations. His family has said Annie Altman has faced mental health challenges and received financial support from relatives. Sam Altman has also said that she began making accusations on social media after the family rejected her requests for additional money.
The dismissal ends the lawsuit at this stage, with the judge citing Annie Altman’s failure to attend the required medical examination. The information provided does not establish that the court made a finding about whether the alleged abuse occurred.
Sam Altman became a prominent figure in the technology industry following the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, which helped drive widespread public interest in artificial intelligence. As head of OpenAI, he remains one of the best-known executives in the sector.
