SpaceX CEO Elon Musk participates in a postlaunch information convention within the Press Web-site auditorium at NASA’s Kennedy House Centre in Florida on Might 30, 2020, next the launch of the agency’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission to the Global Space Station.
NASA/Kim Shiflett
SpaceX founder Elon Musk claimed in a tweet late Thursday that “wild accusations” against him are not accurate.
He did not clarify what those people accusations had been. But his reaction arrived right after a Small business Insider report on Thursday mentioned the aerospace firm had paid $250,000 in severance to a flight attendant who accused the billionaire of sexual misconduct.
The report, which cited interviews and files obtained by Insider, said the girl claimed that through a massage she was providing Musk he uncovered his erect penis, touched her thigh without her consent and made available to obtain her a horse if she done sexual intercourse functions.
Musk, with out referring directly to the report, tweeted that “for the history, these wild accusations are totally untrue.”
“The assaults versus me ought to be viewed through a political lens – this is their standard (despicable) playbook,” he tweeted.
Insider noted that the alleged incident occurred in Musk’s place aboard a SpaceX jet on a flight to London in late 2016, just after the world’s richest person requested her to give him a “entire overall body therapeutic massage.”
Musk informed Insider there was “a whole lot a lot more to this story” as he questioned the publication for more time to react to the article’s promises, in accordance to the outlet.
“If I ended up inclined to engage in sexual harassment, this is unlikely to be the to start with time in my total 30-yr profession that it comes to gentle,” Musk reportedly wrote Insider. He also stated its article was a “politically determined strike piece, the outlet claimed.
Insider documented that it moved the publication deadline immediately after Musk requested far more time to react, but that he hardly ever made even further comment on the allegations.
SpaceX authorized affairs vice president Christopher Cardaci was quoted by Insider as indicating, “I’m not heading to remark on any settlement agreements.”
CNBC has reached out to SpaceX for comment.
The Insider report arrives as the Tesla main Musk is engaged in an hard work to buy social media huge Twitter.
The allegations noted Thursday are in-depth in a declaration signed by a friend of the flight attendant.
That declaration was produced to support a criticism that the woman’s lawyer experienced designed to SpaceX’s human means section in 2018 just after she felt that her do the job chances at the company dwindled just after she declined to have interaction in sexual get in touch with with Musk, in accordance to Insider.
Neither the buddy, who spoke with Insider, nor the girl, who declined to be interviewed by the publication, was determined by identify in the post. The flight attendant signed a non-disclosure settlement as portion of her settlement with SpaceX, according to the report.
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Insider documented that the close friend claimed the flight attendant told her the story about Musk soon after it transpired.
And the outlet claimed that the pal explained she determined to expose the woman’s allegation without having very first asking the flight attendant for the reason that she felt obliged as a survivor of sexual assault to disclose the claim versus Musk.
Insider claimed that the flight attendant’s complaint to SpaceX’s HR department was “solved speedily soon after a session with a mediator that Musk personally attended.”
The information outlet mentioned Musk, SpaceX and the flight attendant in November 2018 entered into an settlement to have the lady paid $250,000 in a number of in exchange for promising not to file a lawsuit linked to her statements.
Examine the total Insider report right here.
— CNBC’s Weizhen Tan and Michael Sheetz contributed to this report.
