Sam Altman’s family speaks out against sister’s sexual abuse lawsuit

• Sam Altman’s estranged sister, Ann Altman, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI’s CEO, alleging childhood sexual abuse.
• She had previously accused her brothers of sexual, physical and emotional abuse on social media.
• On Tuesday, the Altman family issued a statement denying the allegations.

Sam Altman’s estranged younger sister, Ann Altman, filed a lawsuit Monday against OpenAI’s CEO, accusing him of childhood sexual abuse.

On Tuesday afternoon, Sam Altman released a statement on social media, signed by his mother, Connie, and younger brothers, Max and Jack, denying the allegations.

On Monday complaintAnn Altman claims her older brother sexually assaulted her multiple times during the 1990s and 2000s, starting when she was three years old, resulting in post-traumatic stress disorder and physical injuries.

“At all times relevant herein, Defendant, Sam Altman, manipulated and manipulated Plaintiff, Ann Altman, into believing that the aforementioned sexual acts were her idea, despite the fact that she was under five years of age when the sexual abuse began and the defendant was almost a teenager,” the complaint reads.

In addition to the physical and psychological consequences of the alleged abuse, the suit says Ann Altman has “suffered a loss of enjoyment of a normal life as a result of her emotional injuries.”

The complaint seeks unspecified damages in excess of $75,000 in addition to attorneys’ fees.

In Sam Altman’s post on Tuesday, he and his family write:

“Our family loves Annie and is very concerned about her well-being. It is very difficult to care for a family member who is facing mental health challenges,” declaration reader. “Over the years we have tried in many ways to support Annie and help her find stability, following professional advice on how to be supportive without enabling harmful behaviour.”

The statement indicates that the Altman family has offered Ann Altman, who is nine years younger than Sam, monthly financial support and “tried to get her medical care” in addition to offering to buy her a home through a trust “so she would have a secure place to live, but not be able to sell it immediately.”

“Despite this, Annie continues to demand more money from us. In doing so, Annie has made deeply hurtful and completely untrue allegations about our family, especially Sam,” the statement continued. “We have chosen not to respond publicly, out of respect for her privacy and our own. However, she has now taken legal action against Sam and we feel we have no choice but to address this.”

Ann Altman had previously made her accusations public posts on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

In November 2021, she wrote that she “experienced sexual, physical, emotional, verbal, financial and technological abuse from my biological siblings, mostly Sam Altman and some from Jack Altman.”

“I feel strongly that others have also been abused by these perpetrators,” Ann Altman wrote in 2021. “I’m looking for people to join me in pursuing legal justice, safety for others in the future, and group healing. Message me with any information, you can remain however anonymous you feel safe.”

A 2023 profile on Sam Altman in The intelligence officera New York Magazine publication, highlighted the strained relationship between the Altman siblings, including Sam’s estrangement from Ann, but did not detail the abuse allegations.

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The Altman family statement denies the allegations against Sam Altman and other members of the Altman family, saying, “All of these allegations are completely false. This situation is causing tremendous pain to our entire family. It is especially gut-wrenching when she refuses conventional treatment. and lashes out at family members who are genuinely trying to help.”

A lawyer for Annie Altman said the denial was expected.

“With this lawsuit, Annie is seeking what every survivor of sexual abuse wants – justice and accountability,” said Ryan J. Mahoney.

Representatives for OpenAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.