The complaint alleges that former employees were fired for raising concerns about sexual harassment and discrimination against women at the company
SpaceX and CEO Elon Musk were hit with another lawsuit Wednesday from eight former employees who claim Musk personally ordered their firing after they raised concerns about sexual harassment and discrimination against women at the company.
SpaceX fired the workers in 2022 after they wrote and released a letter denouncing the CEO's behavior following allegations of sexual misconduct against him. The letter called on the company's leadership to address and enforce its workplace harassment policies. “Elon's behavior in the public sphere has been a frequent source of distraction and embarrassment to us, particularly in recent weeks,” the letter said. “As our CEO and most prominent spokesperson, Elon is considered the face of SpaceX — every Tweet Elon sends is a de facto public statement from the company.”
In January, the National Labor Relations Board alleged that SpaceX illegally fired workers. The company responded with its own lawsuit against the NLRB.
In the complaint filed Wednesday, which he shared Worthythe lawsuit alleges that Musk “runs his company in the dark ages — treating women as sex objects to be judged by their bra size, bombarding the workplace with obscene sexual innuendos, and offering reps to those who question the environment of “Animal House” that if they don't like it they can look for work elsewhere.”
SpaceX did not immediately respond Rolling Stonee's request for comment.
The suit arrives a day later The Wall Street Journal published a story detailing allegations that Musk approached female SpaceX employees for sex and to father his children. Gwynne Shotwell, president and CEO of SpaceX, said WSJ that his report painted “a completely misleading narrative” and said “Elon is one of the nicest people I know.”
The new lawsuit filed Wednesday accuses SpaceX and Musk of violating federal and state labor laws and accuses Musk of “knowingly and intentionally creating an unwelcome hostile work environment” and retaliating against employees for “resisting discrimination, harassment and the hostile work environment they observed and were subjected to.”
The former employees are seeking damages and consequential damages for lost wages, benefits and emotional distress.
from our partners at https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/spacex-elon-musk-lawsuit-wrongful-firings-1235039014/
