SpaceX paid $250,000 to flight attendant after alleged harassment by Musk, says website

SpaceX, Elon Musk’s space transportation company, paid a flight attendant $250,000 in 2018 in a settlement to settle a sexual harassment allegation against the billionaire, according to Business Insider.

The employee would be part of the crew of SpaceX’s corporate jet fleet. She accused Musk of exposing his erect penis, rubbing his leg without consent and offering her a horse in exchange for an erotic massage, Business Insider says, citing documents and interviews.

Sought by the site, the commissioner declined to comment.

The case would have taken place in 2016 and would have been narrated in a statement signed by a person close to the commissioner, who would also have shared email exchanges and other records about the event. The statement would have been prepared in support of the employee’s accusation.

According to the statement, the commissioner told this close person that she was encouraged to obtain a massage therapist license in order to be able to offer the service to Musk. During one of the massages, in a private cabin on the billionaire’s jet, Musk offered a horse in exchange for an erotic massage, the site claims.

Business Insider says it reached out to Musk and received an email from the billionaire asking for more time to respond. In addition, the Tesla founder reportedly stated that there is “a lot more to this story”.

“If I were inclined to engage in sexual harassment, this is unlikely to be the first time in my entire 30-year career that this has come to light,” he wrote, calling the report a politically motivated attempted attack.

The site says it extended the deadline and reiterated its request for comment from Musk, but did not receive further responses.

SpaceX’s legal vice president, Christopher Cardaci, was reportedly contacted by cell phone and said he would not comment. SpaceX did not respond to requests for comment, says Business Insider.