SpaceX taken to court by engineers dismissed after accusing Elon Musk of gender discrimination
Space transportation company SpaceX and its CEO Elon Musk are facing a legal challenge from eight engineers who claim they were unlawfully terminated for raising objections regarding alleged sexual misconduct and bias against women.
The engineers – four females and four males – assert that Musk instructed their dismissal in 2022 subsequent to them circulating a communication labeling the billionaire as a “disruption and disgrace” and urging executives to distance themselves from sexually suggestive remarks he had made on social platforms.
The legal case was lodged in city court in Los Angeles.
The complainants referenced a number of tweets by Musk, a few of which allude to his private part, including one from 2022 advising the former Chief Executive Officer of YouTube “if you touch my member, you can acquire a horse.”
The lawsuit alleges that Musk’s behavior promoted a “deeply biased environment” at SpaceX where female engineers faced consistent harassment and discriminatory remarks, and their objections concerning the workplace atmosphere were disregarded. For example, senior engineers used indirect terms for intimate acts and male genitalia to characterize rocket elements, as per the lawsuit.
“These actions … had the foreseeable and actual effect of causing offense, creating distress, and invading upon Plaintiffs’ well-being to the extent of disrupting their emotional peace at the workplace,” as stated by the complainants in the lawsuit.
SpaceX did not immediately react to a request for feedback.
SpaceX has rejected any wrongdoing, asserting that the 2022 communication was disruptive and the workers were rightly dismissed for infringing company rules. Additionally, the company has denied Musk’s participation in the decision to terminate the engineers.
Paige Holland-Thielen, one of the plaintiffs, mentioned in a statement provided by her legal team that the legal action endorsed on Wednesday is a move to hold SpaceX leadership responsible and prompt changes in workplace rules.
“We expect that this lawsuit motivates our colleagues to remain resolute and to persist in seeking a superior workplace,” she remarked.
The eight engineers are already at the center of a US National Labor Relations Board case alleging that their dismissals breached their privileges under US labor legislation to advocate for enhanced working conditions.
SpaceX has filed a complaint asserting that the labor board’s internal enforcement procedures violate the US Constitution.
A US appeals court recently stopped the NLRB case while it evaluates SpaceX’s bid to stop it from advancing until the resolution of the company’s legal challenge.
The lawsuit filed on Wednesday accuses SpaceX and Musk of revenge and illegal termination breaching California regulations, further blaming the company of sexual misconduct and gender prejudice.
The complainants are requesting unspecified compensatory and penalizing reparations and a directive preventing SpaceX from perpetuating its purportedly illegal actions.
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