Abstract:
A Missouri federal court judge ruled on October 20, local time, to dismiss the civil lawsuit against OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman. The lawsuit, filed by his sister Anne Altman, accuses him of repeated sexual assaults more than two decades ago, allegations that Sam Altman has always denied.
The federal district judge Zachary Bluestone, who was in charge of hearing the case, stated in the ruling that Anne Altman refused to undergo an independent medical examination, and the court had clearly warned that if she failed to cooperate with the examination as required, the case would face the consequences of being dismissed. In the end, the judge decided to dismiss the lawsuit based on relevant procedural requirements.
After the verdict of the case was announced, Anne Altman’s lawyer Laura Politi did not comment to the media. Attorney Santos Perez, who previously represented Anne Altman but withdrew from the case this month, issued a statement saying he was no longer authorized to comment on the case but still believed Anne's story. On the other hand, Sam Altman's legal team did not immediately respond to the media's request for comment.
Anne Altman filed the lawsuit in January 2025 in federal court in St. Louis, Missouri. She accused Sam Altman of sexually assaulting and raping her at the family's home in Clayton, Missouri, from 1997 to 2006. According to the complaint, the behavior allegedly began when she was 3 years old and Sam was 12 years old and continued for many years. She also claimed that Sam Altman was an adult when some of the alleged abuse occurred. Sam Altman, 41, denies all charges.
The Altman family has previously publicly stated that Annie Altman has been facing mental health problems for a long time and has received financial support from her family. Sam Altman said the allegations emerged after the family refused further requests for funds.
In recent years, with the explosive popularity of ChatGPT, Sam Altman has become one of the most watched figures in the global artificial intelligence industry. This lawsuit has attracted widespread public attention, and with the court's dismissal ruling, this civil case that lasted for nearly two years has temporarily come to an end. However, the court's ruling was mainly based on factors at the procedural level of the case rather than making factual findings on the content of the relevant charges themselves.
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