Eight fired SpaceX engineers have filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk accusing him of sexual harassment and retaliation. The U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has initiated a case against the company.
"Musk deliberately and purposefully created an unwanted hostile work environment based on his behavior, which inserted disgusting sexual photos, memes, and comments that demeaned women and/or the LGBTQ+ community in the workplace," the lawsuit states.
The plaintiffs claim that some of them were then subjected to offensive comments from other colleagues who "imitated Musk's Twitter messages" and "created an extremely uncomfortable hostile work atmosphere." After Musk publicly mocked allegations of inappropriate conduct against him, employees in an open letter in 2022 expressed concern about his behavior and the company's culture, claiming they were fired in response. The plaintiffs have reason to believe that Musk personally decided to fire them in response to such activity. When an HR employee suggested conducting an investigation first, Musk replied, "I don't care - fire them," the complaint states.
This lawsuit against Musk is not the first among complaints from the same employees to the U.S. National Labor Relations Board, alleging that SpaceX unlawfully retaliated against them. NLRB prosecutors agreed, but in January SpaceX went to court, claiming that the agency's structure is unconstitutional. The appeals court ban suspended the case from being heard in the labor board.
In addition, the Wall Street Journal reported allegations that Musk sexually harassed women at SpaceX, including a former intern with whom he allegedly had sex. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell accused the publication of presenting "lies, false characterizations, and revisionist history," stating that "Elon is one of the best people I know."
NLRB does not have the authority to hold individuals accountable, but in a new lawsuit in state court, Musk himself is named as the defendant, citing "maniacal control over personnel decisions in his business" and his public comments, such as a joke on Twitter about accusations of inappropriate behavior, "if you touch my vine, you might get the horse." Musk denies wrongdoing.
The lawsuit also claims that SpaceX executives, including Musk and Shotwell, participated in a video "mocking and highlighting sexual harassment and jokes," including a scene where an employee demonstrates the "correct" way to spank a colleague.
Former employees had previously filed some of their claims with the California Department of Fair Employment. According to the complaint, this agency issued them "right to sue" letters this week to clear the way for filing a lawsuit.
"We need to explore any avenues we can to continue advancing our claims. Even Elon, with all his wealth and power, is not above being held accountable, right?" said plaintiff Tom Molayn in an interview.
Source: Bloomberg
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