A U.S. federal judge in St. Louis has dismissed, with prejudice, the civil lawsuit brought by Ann (Annie) Altman against her brother, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, after finding she failed to appear for an independent medical examination ordered by the court, according to reporting by The Guardian and Reuters cited in U.S. coverage of the order.

U.S. District Judge Zachary M. Bluestone, who presides in the Eastern District of Missouri, granted Sam Altman's motion to dismiss and denied his separate request for attorney fees and costs. A dismissal with prejudice means the case cannot be refiled in that court.

The lawsuit was filed in January 2025. In it, Ann Altman alleged abuse at the family home in Clayton, Missouri, between 1997 and 2006. Those are allegations, not findings: Sam Altman denies them, and he, his mother and his brothers said in a joint statement when the case was filed that the claims were 'deeply hurtful and entirely untrue.' The judge did not rule on the merits of the allegations; the dismissal rested on failure to comply with the court-ordered examination despite warnings that non-compliance could lead to dismissal, Engadget reported.

Santos Perez, a lawyer who had represented Ann Altman until withdrawing this month, told The Guardian: 'I am no longer authorized to comment on this case but I continue to believe in Annie.' Lawyers for both sides had not otherwise commented immediately after the order, according to the reports.

Sources: The Guardian (republished report, Oct. 21, 2026); Reuters reporting cited by the Daily Caller News Foundation; Engadget via Scoop. Awaaz Punjab is reporting the allegations only as allegations and the dismissal only as a procedural ruling.