A lawsuit alleges that SpaceX facilitated repeated incidents of sexual abuse. In the lawsuit, an employee recounts experiences within the company where instances of sexual misconduct were allowed to persist without adequate response to complaints.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon spacecraft sits on Launch Complex 39A after its launch was scrubbed at the Kennedy Space Center on August 25, 2023, in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Facing Allegations of Systemic Sexual Abuse
In a recent lawsuit against SpaceX, an employee named Michelle Dopak alleges a distressing ordeal spanning seven years at the company's headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Her account unveils a distressing narrative of enduring sexual abuse, disparate pay, discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation.
However, beyond these individual grievances lies a more troubling revelation: a pervasive culture of harassment and coordinated efforts to facilitate and conceal instances of sexual coercion allegedly orchestrated by her direct supervisor.
Dopak further claims that her pleas for intervention were disregarded by SpaceX's president and vice president. The details of her complaint paint a bleak picture, reminiscent of previous allegations against Elon Musk-owned companies.
While echoing past grievances, Dopak's account appears to delve into darker territory, reflecting a distressing pattern within the organization.
Dopak alleges that despite her employment at SpaceX, managers are reportedly attempting to compel her resignation by imposing a demanding work schedule of 12-hour shifts, six days per week, contravening her medical accommodation requirements.
Furthermore, the lawsuit contends that SpaceX sought to compel Dopak into arbitration despite federal laws prohibiting employers from mandating arbitration for sexual harassment claims since 2022. Tesla's similar attempts were thwarted in the same year.
Distressing Pattern Within Musk-Owned Companies
In 2021, former employees of SpaceX have come forward to share their accounts of workplace experiences at the commercial aerospace company, alleging a pervasive culture of sexual harassment and inadequate handling of complaints by managers and the human resources department.
These revelations came in response to an essay by former employee Ashley Kosak, who departed from SpaceX in November. Kosak's narrative recounted numerous instances of unwanted touching and discomfort resulting from rebuffing sexual advances from male colleagues.
Additionally, four other individuals disclosed their own troubling encounters at SpaceX, including instances of witnessing harassment directed at women and nonbinary individuals. In instances where SpaceX's HR department was informed of these allegations, employees reported inconsistent and unsatisfactory responses.
In 2022, a California judge denied Tesla's motion for arbitration in a lawsuit alleging the company fostered a workplace environment rife with sexual harassment. Despite the plaintiff's prior agreement to arbitration, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Stephen Kaus proceeded with the case on Monday, as revealed by Bloomberg's initial report.
Bloomberg reported that the lawsuit, filed by Jessica Barraza the previous year, claimed instances of catcalling, lewd remarks, and inappropriate physical contact during her tenure as a production associate at Tesla's Fremont, California factory.
Barraza's claims were corroborated by at least seven other female employees who came forward with similar allegations of sexual harassment. Some cited Musk's suggestive tweets as exacerbating the situation.
