The sister of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has filed a lawsuit alleging that he sexually abused her on a regular basis over several years as a child.
The lawsuit, filed Jan. 6 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, alleges the abuse began when Ann Altman was 3 years old and Sam Altman was 12. The complaint alleges that the last abuse occurred after he was an adult, but his sister, known as Annie, was still a child.
The CEO of ChatGPT Developers posted: Joint statement on X”, he signed alongside his mother Connie and brothers Max and Jack, denying the allegations and calling them “totally false.”‘
“Our family loves Annie and is extremely concerned about her health,” the statement said. “Caring for family members facing mental health challenges is incredibly difficult.”
It added: “Annie has made deeply hurtful and completely untrue allegations about our family, especially Sam. This situation has caused immeasurable pain to our entire family.”
Ann Altman previously made similar allegations against her brother on social media platforms.
In a court filing, her lawyer said she had experienced mental health issues as a result of the alleged abuse. The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and more than $75,000 (£60,000) in damages and legal fees.
A statement from the family said Anne Altman had made “deeply hurtful and completely false allegations” about the family and accused them of demanding more money.
He added that they offered her “monthly financial assistance” and “attempted to receive medical assistance,” but she “refused conventional treatment.”
The family said they had previously decided not to publicly respond to the allegations, but chose to do so following her decision to take legal action.
Sam Altman, 39, is one of the most prominent leaders in technology and the co-founder of OpenAI, best known for ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot launched in 2022.
The billionaire temporarily stepped down as chief executive in November 2023 after being ousted from the company’s board for “failing to consistently communicate openly.” Although nearly all employees threatened to resign, he returned to his job the following week. Altman returned to the board last March following an external investigation.
Source: www.theguardian.com
