Annie Altman filed a petition on January 6, 2025 against the chief executive officer of this AI firm, her brother accusing him of raping her when she was minor. Sam Altman denied all allegations. She has now amended the petition, after the judge said she could try pursuing her case under Missouri's child sexual abuse statute.
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.
According Reuters report, Sam Altman has countered with a defamation case against his sister tied to social media posts made between 2021 and 2024 where Annie has talked about being sexually harassed by an older sibling turned tech billionaire.
Under Missouri statutes, survivors have a specific legal window to file claims. They may do so within ten years of turning 21 or within three years of discovering that their injuries were a result of the alleged abuse that being said, whichever timeline extends further. This provision is designed to account for delayed psychological recognition often associated with such cases.
That said, the filing of an amended complaint does not automatically push the case toward trial. The court must first evaluate whether the claims meet the legal thresholds defined under the law. Only after this preliminary scrutiny can the case move forward in the judicial process.
As of now, the case remains at a preliminary stage, with the court’s interpretation of the statute likely to determine its trajectory.