Sam Altman seeks to dismiss damages in sister's sexual abuse suit
MSFT
Published on 04/16/2026 at 04:45 am EDT
STORY: OpenAI's Sam Altman is seeking the dismissal of punitive damages claims in his sister's civil lawsuit.
Annie Altman accused him of repeated sexual abuse more than two decades ago -- an accusation he denies.
In a filing late on Wednesday in St. Louis federal court, the OpenAI co-founder and chief executive argued that Missouri's child sexual abuse statute does not authorize punitive damages for his sister's claims, and instead limits her to "damages for injury or illness" caused by childhood sexual abuse.
He said punitive damages are also unavailable for conduct he allegedly committed as a child, and renewed his request to dismiss the lawsuit altogether.
Lawyers for Annie Altman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Annie Altman accused her brother of sexually abusing and raping her between 1997 and 2006 at the family home in suburban Clayton, Missouri.
She said the abuse began when she was three years old and he was 12.
She claims that the "last acts of sexual abuse and rape" occurred when Sam Altman was an adult.
The Altman family has said that Annie Altman has mental health challenges and received financial support.
Sam Altman said his sister began accusing him on social media of sexual abuse after they rejected her extortionate demand for "greater and greater financial support."
Her lawsuit began in January 2025.
Altman is also countersuing his sister for defamation over her posts.
He is seeking $1, saying he "does not want to harm his sister financially" but wants a verdict that her statements are not true.