Judge dismisses Ann Altman’s lawsuit against Sam Altman after missed medical exams
A federal judge dismissed the childhood sexual abuse lawsuit with prejudice after Ann Altman did not attend three independent medical examinations. The decision did not resolve the allegations.
A federal judge in Missouri dismissed Ann Altman’s lawsuit against her brother, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, on 20 October 2026 after she did not attend three independent medical examinations. The dismissal ends her claims in this case, but the judge did not decide whether her allegations of childhood sexual abuse were true. Sam Altman has denied them.
Why the judge dismissed Ann Altman’s case
US District Judge Zachary Bluestone said Ann Altman failed to appear for the examinations despite multiple accommodations and opportunities, according to the BBC’s account of his written order. The judge said she had failed to meaningfully prosecute the case and dismissed her claims with prejudice. Engadget reported that she had been warned that failing to attend an independent medical examination could lead to dismissal.
In the order quoted by the BBC, Bluestone said Ann Altman had continued to violate her obligations to provide evidence during the case and had brought it to a halt. He wrote that the court had run out of options. Engadget reported that the ruling rested on her failure to attend the examination, rather than a finding on the substance of the abuse claims.
What Ann Altman alleged in the lawsuit
Ann Altman filed the lawsuit on 6 January 2025 in the Eastern District of Missouri. She alleged that her older brother sexually abused her at the family home between 1997 and 2006, beginning when she was three and he was 12. Engadget reported that she alleged the final instance occurred after he became an adult. Those claims remained allegations when the case was dismissed.
The case had already been revised. Engadget reported that Bluestone ruled in March that Ann Altman’s original sexual assault and battery claims had expired, but allowed her to file again under a Missouri law concerning childhood sexual abuse. The amended lawsuit was the one dismissed on 20 October after the missed examinations.
Sam Altman has denied the abuse allegations. In a joint statement after the lawsuit was filed, he, his mother and his two younger brothers called the claims ‘utterly untrue’, the BBC reported. That denial addresses the allegations; the judge’s dismissal was based on Ann Altman’s failure to comply with the examination requirement, not a ruling on whether the alleged abuse happened.
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Sources and context
- Judge tosses sexual abuse lawsuit from Sam Altman's sisterEngadget
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wins dismissal of sister's lawsuitBBC News
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.