SpaceX CEO Elon Musk participates in a postlaunch information convention within the Press Web page auditorium at NASA’s Kennedy Area Middle in Florida on Might 30, 2020, following the release of the company’s SpaceX Demo-2 venture to the World Area Station.
NASA/Kim Shiflett
SpaceX founder Elon Musk stated in a tweet past due Thursday that “wild accusations” in opposition to him aren’t true.
He didn’t give an explanation for what the ones accusations had been. However his reaction got here after a Trade Insider record on Thursday stated the aerospace corporate had paid $250,000 in severance to a flight attendant who accused the billionaire of sexual misconduct.
The record, which cited interviews and paperwork acquired by way of Insider, stated the girl claimed that all through a therapeutic massage she used to be giving Musk he uncovered his erect penis, touched her thigh with out her consent and introduced to shop for her a horse if she carried out intercourse acts.
Musk, with out referring immediately to the record, tweeted that “for the document, the ones wild accusations are totally unfaithful.”
“The assaults in opposition to me will have to be seen via a political lens – that is their same old (despicable) playbook,” he tweeted.
Insider reported that the alleged incident passed off in Musk’s room aboard a SpaceX jet on a flight to London in past due 2016, after the arena’s richest particular person requested her to offer him a “complete frame therapeutic massage.”
Musk advised Insider there used to be “much more to this tale” as he requested the newsletter for extra time to reply to the thing’s claims, consistent with the opening.
“If I had been prone to have interaction in sexual harassment, that is not going to be the primary time in my complete 30-year occupation that it involves mild,” Musk reportedly wrote Insider. He additionally stated its article used to be a “politically motivated hit piece, the opening reported.
Insider reported that it moved the newsletter cut-off date after Musk asked extra time to reply, however that he by no means made additional remark at the allegations.
SpaceX prison affairs vp Christopher Cardaci used to be quoted by way of Insider as announcing, “I am not going to touch upon any agreement agreements.”
CNBC has reached out to SpaceX for remark.
The Insider record comes because the Tesla leader Musk is engaged to be able to acquire social media massive Twitter.
The allegations reported Thursday are detailed in a declaration signed by way of a chum of the flight attendant.
That declaration used to be made to toughen a criticism that the girl’s legal professional had made to SpaceX’s human sources division in 2018 after she felt that her paintings alternatives on the corporate dwindled after she declined to have interaction in sexual touch with Musk, consistent with Insider.
Neither the buddy, who spoke with Insider, nor the girl, who declined to be interviewed by way of the newsletter, used to be recognized by way of identify within the article. The flight attendant signed a non-disclosure settlement as a part of her agreement with SpaceX, consistent with the record.
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Insider reported that the buddy stated the flight attendant advised her the tale about Musk in a while after it came about.
And the opening reported that the buddy stated she determined to expose the girl’s allegation with out first asking the flight attendant as a result of she felt obliged as a survivor of sexual attack to expose the declare in opposition to Musk.
Insider reported that the flight attendant’s criticism to SpaceX’s HR division used to be “resolved temporarily after a consultation with a mediator that Musk in my opinion attended.”
The scoop outlet stated Musk, SpaceX and the flight attendant in November 2018 entered into an settlement to have the girl paid $250,000 in numerous in trade for promising to not record a lawsuit hooked up to her claims.
Learn the entire Insider record right here.
— CNBC’s Weizhen Tan and Michael Sheetz contributed to this record.