Former SpaceX employee accuses Musk of sexual harassment

SpaceX paid a former employee $250,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit against company founder Elon Musk in 2018. This is reported by Business Insider with reference to documents.

The woman worked as a flight attendant in the SpaceX corporate jet fleet. According to the documents, she confessed to a friend that after getting the job, she was advised to get a license as a massage therapist in order to massage Musk.

Musk invited her to a private cabin "for a full-body massage" while flying a Gulfstream G650ER in 2016, the woman said. When she arrived, Musk "was completely naked except for a sheet covering the lower half of his body." During the massage, the woman said in a statement, Musk "revealed his genitals" and then "touched her and offered to buy her a horse [according to Insider, the woman is a horseback rider] if she 'does more'," referring to sexual intercourse. ".

The documents say she refused. After the refusal, the woman noticed that the number of her work shifts was sharply reduced. 

Then the flight attendant hired a lawyer and wrote a complaint to the SpaceX personnel department, describing the incident in detail. However, according to Business Insider, the case never went to COURT because in November 2018, Musk, SpaceX, and the flight attendant entered into a severance package agreement, according to which she was paid $250,000 in exchange for a promise not to sue. The agreement also included a number of non-disclosure provisions.

Business Insider has reached out to Musk for comment. He sent an email asking for more time to respond, but considered this story a "politically motivated" stuffing.

“If I was prone to sexual harassment, it would hardly be the first time in my entire 30-year career when this became known,” he stressed.

SpaceX Vice President Christopher Kardachi declined to comment on reports that the company paid the ex-employee $250,000 to keep her quiet.