A federal judge in Missouri dismissed Ann “Annie” Altman’s lawsuit alleging childhood sexual abuse by her brother, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, citing repeated failures to comply with court orders to provide evidence.
U.S. District Judge Zachary M. Bluestone’s Oct. 19 order dismissed her claims with prejudice. At Sam Altman’s request, the judge also dismissed his defamation and abuse-of-process counterclaims without prejudice. The ruling did not determine whether the alleged abuse occurred.
Annie Altman alleged in a complaint filed Jan. 6, 2025, that her brother abused her at their family home in Clayton, Missouri, from approximately 1997 through 2006. She said the alleged conduct began when she was 3 and he was 12. Sam Altman has denied the allegations.
Bluestone cited three occasions on which Annie Altman missed an independent medical examination, along with other discovery she had not completed. The court had ordered her to attend the examination and finish the outstanding discovery by Oct. 16, warning that another missed examination would result in dismissal with prejudice. Bluestone concluded that her missed deadlines had hampered Sam Altman’s defense.
Bluestone denied Sam Altman’s request for attorneys’ fees and costs connected to a discovery motion, finding dismissal a sufficient sanction. He said dismissing the counterclaims would spare Annie Altman further litigation costs and potential liability.
In March, the court had dismissed her original common-law claims as filed too late but allowed her to amend the complaint. Bluestone said he would address remaining procedural motions in a separate order.
