It appears SpaceX’s CEO has found himself in a public sexual misconduct incident after a former employee of the aerospace firm came out in the open about how he exposed himself to her back in 2016.
The unnamed flight attendant for SpaceX disclosed that Musk had requested her to “do more” during a massage and was paid $250,000 ( N103 million) to keep mum about the incident.
According to a report by Business Insider, the attendant worked as a member of the cabin crew on a contract basis for SpaceX’s corporate jet fleet. She accused Musk of exposing his erect penis to her, rubbing her leg without consent, and offering to buy her a horse in exchange for an erotic massage, according to interviews and documents obtained by the publication.
Encouraged to get licensed as a masseuse
The incident, which took place in 2016, is alleged in a declaration signed by a friend of the attendant and prepared in support of her claim. According to the declaration, the attendant confided to the friend that after taking the flight attendant job, she was encouraged to get licensed as a masseuse so that she could give Musk massages. It was during one such massage in a private cabin on Musk’s Gulfstream G650ER, she told the friend, that Musk propositioned her.
Musk’s response
After Insider contacted Musk for comment, he emailed to ask for more time to respond and said 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 IT COMES TO LIGHT,” HE WROTE, CALLING THE STORY A “POLITICALLY MOTIVATED HIT PIECE.”
Over the last few months, the CEO has ramped up negative comments on the Democratic party and “wokeness”. He said that he would be voting Republican going forward, Electrek reported.
The infamous massage
The flight attendant told her friend that the billionaire SpaceX and Tesla founder asked her to come to his room during a flight in late 2016 “for a full body massage,” the declaration says.
When she arrived, the attendant found that Musk “was completely naked except for a sheet covering the lower half of his body.” During the massage, the declaration says, Musk “exposed his genitals” and then “touched her and offered to buy her a horse if she would ‘do more,’ referring to the performance of sex acts.”
Offered to buy her a horse
The attendant, who rides horses, declined and continued with the massage without engaging in any sexual conduct. The attendant “is not for sale,” the friend’s declaration said. “She is not going to perform sexual favors for money or gifts.” The incident occurred during a flight to London.
The severance agreement
In November 2018, Musk, SpaceX, and the flight attendant entered into a severance agreement granting the attendant a $250,000 payment in exchange for a promise not to sue over the claims.