SpaceX reportedly paid $250,000 to cover up Elon Musk’s sexual misconduct

Photo by PATRICK PLEUL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

According to a report from Business Insider, the company paid $250,000 to prevent a flight attendant from speaking out after she was propositioned for sex by Musk.

There are descriptions of sexual misconduct in the following story. If you need immediate help, you can call the National Sexual assault Hotline or go to online.rainn.org.

One of the flight attendant's friends said that the alleged victim was a crew member on the corporate flight. The attendant told her friend that Musk asked her for a full body massage in his room on one of the flights, and that he encouraged her to get a masseuse license. Musk allegedly showed her his erect penis during the massage after removing the sheet that was covering his lower body. He offered to buy the attendant a horse if she would do more.

The allegations were relayed to Insider by one of the flight attendant's friends, who was asked by the attendant's attorney to sign a declaration backing up the claims. The friend told Insider that the attendant refused to perform sexual acts on Musk, and that she was really upset after the flight. The friend said that the number of shifts she was given was cut after the incident, which the attendant thought was a sign of retaliation.

According to Insider, the attendant filed a complaint with the HR department of the company, saying that she had suffered because of her refusal. The company took the complaint to a mediation and signed the attendant to a $250,000 severance agreement prohibiting her from saying anything bad about Musk or his companies. Talking about the payment was included.

Insider says its source didn't consult the flight attendant before telling the story, and that the alleged victim didn't want to speak. A friend of the attendant did not sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Musk said that the story was a political hit piece and that there was more to it.

The editor at Insider said that it seemed as if he was trying to get out ahead of the story by making people believe the next thing he was accused of. He never responded again after Insider extended the deadline.

If I were to engage in sexual harassment, it would be the first time in my entire career that it would come to light.

The company did not reply to the request for comment.