SpaceX faces a lawsuit from fired engineers after accusing Elon Musk of sexism

Rocket maker SpaceX and its CEO, Elon Musk, were sued Wednesday by eight engineers who say they were illegally fired for raising concerns about alleged sexual harassment and discrimination against women.

The engineers – four women and four men – say Musk ordered their firings in 2022 after they released a letter calling the billionaire a “distraction and embarrassment” and urging executives to repudiate sexually charged comments he had made online on social media. The lawsuit was filed in state court in Los Angeles.

The lawsuit alleges that Musk’s conduct has fostered a “deeply sexist culture” at SpaceX, where female engineers are regularly subjected to harassment and sexist comments and where their concerns about workplace culture are ignored.

“These actions…had the foreseeable and actual result of offending, causing distress, and interfering with the well-being of Plaintiffs in a manner that disrupted their emotional peace in the workplace,” the plaintiffs said in the lawsuit.

SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

SpaceX has denied any wrongdoing, saying the 2022 letter was disruptive and that workers were rightfully fired for violating company policies.

The lawsuit filed Wednesday accuses Musk and SpaceX of retaliation and unfair firing in violation of California law, as well as accusing the company of sexual harassment and gender discrimination.

The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages and an order prohibiting SpaceX from continuing its alleged illegal conduct.

Source: Terra

Rose

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