Elon Musk denies allegation SpaceX paid flight attendant to keep quiet about sexual harassment

Elon Musk denied allegations that he sexually harassed a SpaceX flight attendant in 2016, in a series of Thursday evening tweets. 

“I have a challenge to this liar who claims their friend saw me ‘exposed’ – describe just one thing, anything at all (scars, tattoos, …) that isn’t known by the public. She won’t be able to do so, because it never happened,” the Tesla and SpaceX CEO tweeted early Friday morning.

But I have a challenge to this liar who claims their friend saw me “exposed” – describe just one thing, anything at all (scars, tattoos, …) that isn’t known by the public. She won’t be able to do so, because it never happened.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 20, 2022

The tweet comes after Business Insider reported that SpaceX paid a $250,000 settlement in 2018 following an allegation from a SpaceX flight attendant who made accusations of sexual misconduct against the billionaire.

The accusation centers around allegations from 2016 in which Musk purportedly exposed his erect penis to the attendant, rubbed her leg without her consent and offered to “buy her a horse” if she would “do more” during an in-flight massage.

Business Insider reportedly did the story after reviewing a legal declaration signed by a friend of the victim who says she did not consult the flight attendant about sharing it with the press. The friend purportedly leaked the document “as a survivor of sexual assault, she felt an obligation to share what she had been told about Musk.”

Business Inside reported that the attendant worked as a contractor on SpaceX’s corporate fleet. She was encouraged to get licensed as a masseuse after getting hired, as massages considered a perk for the company’s executives.

The declaration says, “They implied that she would get to fly more often if she were to do this because she'd be able to give Elon proper massages.”

The flight attendant thought it was a strange request because they asked her to do it on her own dime, but she was “just so happy and eager to have the job and be able to travel,” according to the declaration.

But during a flight to London, Musk invited her into his room for a “full body massage.” She entered to find him completely naked except for a sheet covering the lower half of his body.

During the massage, he “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,” the declaration says.

She declined and continued, but said she felt like was being scheduled less often after the incident.

In 2018, she hired an employment lawyer to draft the complaint she sent to SpaceX’s HR department. This is when the attorney’s firm reached out to the friend and asked her to declare an declaration.

According to the friend, the attendant’s complaint was resolved before it ever reached court or arbitration. Musk and the attendant entered into an agreement in Nov. 2018 where she received $250,000 in severance pay in exchange for a promise not to sue over the claims and a non-disclosure agreement – which the friend was not bound by.

Insider claims it knows the identity of the flight attendant and her friend, despite her attempt to keep them anonymous. The victim declined to comment when contacted.