Elon Musk and SpaceX sued for alleged sexual harassment by former employees

Hamza Fahmy and Russell Falcon

5 hours ago

(KRON) – On Wednesday, eight former SpaceX employees filed a lawsuit against the rocket maker and its owner, Elon Musk. The lawsuit accuses Musk of overseeing a “pervasive sexist culture” and an “'Animal House' environment” with women allegedly being evaluated based on their bra size and constantly made uncomfortable with references sexual.

Before filing this complaint, the eight SpaceX employees had already submitted an open letter to SpaceX management contesting the “illegal and hostile work environment” they endured. The complaint alleges that “Musk personally ordered the plaintiff's termination” after the letter was submitted, Anne B. Shaver, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, told KRON4.

“Elon Musk presents SpaceX as the leader of a new, better world of space travel, but is leading his company into the Dark Ages,” Shaver said.

The suit alleges that “Musk knowingly and deliberately created an unwelcome and hostile work environment through his conduct of introducing vile sexual photographs, memes and comments into the workplace that demeaned women and/or the community.” LGBTQ+.”

The suit references several comments made by Musk, primarily on his social platform »

Although they were posted on his personal account, the plaintiffs believed Musk “intentionally incentivized” users to parallel follow his X account when they followed SpaceX news and updates. According to the complaint, the SpaceX company handbook also “references Musk's account as a source of approved company information that employees could share publicly.”

“Unsurprisingly,” the lawsuit states, “employees and the public perceived Musk’s Twitter feed as a representation of the culture of SpaceX itself. »

The plaintiffs believe these actions “had the foreseeable and actual result of causing offense, causing distress, and harming their well-being in a manner that disrupted their emotional tranquility in the workplace,” the suit states.

Wednesday's lawsuit accuses SpaceX and Musk of retaliation and wrongful termination in violation of California law and further accuses the company of sexual harassment and gender discrimination.

The plaintiffs seek unspecified compensatory and punitive damages as well as an order prohibiting SpaceX from continuing to engage in its allegedly illegal conduct.

Paige Holland-Thielen, one of the plaintiffs, said in a statement released by her lawyers that the trial was an “important step in our pursuit of justice.”

“We hope this trial will encourage our colleagues to stay strong and continue fighting for a better workplace,” she said.

Nexstar has reached out to SpaceX for comment but has not yet received a response.

This is not the first time SpaceX and Musk have faced harassment allegations. In 2021, former employee Ashley Kosak published an essay titled: “At SpaceX, we are told we can change the world. However, I couldn't stop being sexually harassed. Kosak's claims included male co-workers grabbing her body and making other unwanted sexual advances toward her. Five former SpaceX employees echoed Kosak's experience with their own, with the Verge reporting that the former employees said HR didn't treat their complaints seriously.

In a statement, Laurie Burgess, an attorney also representing the plaintiffs, said: “Musk believes he is above the law. Our eight brave customers stood up to him and were fired for it. We look forward to holding Musk accountable for his actions at trial.