The sister of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has filed an amended federal lawsuit alleging he sexually abused her during their childhood, reviving part of a case that had previously been dismissed.
Annie Altman submitted the amended complaint on April 1, 2026, in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis after a judge ruled that certain claims could proceed under Missouri law.
Sam Altman has denied the allegations.
The allegations were outlined in a civil complaint filed January 6, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.
A federal judge previously dismissed claims of sexual assault and battery tied to alleged abuse between 1997 and 2006, finding they fell outside the statute of limitations. However, the court allowed the plaintiff to pursue a claim under Missouri’s Childhood Sexual Abuse statute, which permits certain claims involving older allegations to proceed under specific conditions, according to reporting by Business Insider.
The amended complaint alleges that Sam Altman sexually abused and raped his younger sister at multiple points between 1997 and 2006 at their family home in Clayton, Missouri. According to court filings, the alleged abuse began when she was three years old, and he was 12.
In prior court filings, he characterized the claims as false and described the lawsuit as extortion, according to Reuters. He also stated that he and other family members have provided financial support to his sister and raised concerns about her mental health, Reuters reported.
The case also includes a defamation counterclaim filed by Sam Altman tied to social media posts made between 2021 and 2024. In those posts, Annie Altman described alleged abuse by an older sibling and, in some instances, referenced “an almost tech billionaire,” according to Reuters.
Under Missouri law, plaintiffs alleging childhood sexual abuse may bring claims within ten years of turning 21 or within three years of discovering that injuries were caused by the alleged abuse, whichever occurs later.
The amended filing does not guarantee the case will proceed to trial. The court must first determine whether the claims meet the legal requirements outlined in the statute.
Attorneys for Sam Altman did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the amended complaint.
Sam Altman co-founded OpenAI and became widely known following the release of ChatGPT in 2022.