SpaceX, which has previously been sued by the Department of Justice for discrimination, has been sued again. This time, the rocket company is being sued over claims of sexual discrimination and harassment. CNBC reports that Michelle Dopak is accusing SpaceX of underpaying women, failing to promote them and retaliating against her when she complained about unfair treatment.
Dopak also claims that her married boss pressured her into a sexual relationship, got her pregnant and then offered her $100,000 to get an abortion. She declined his offer and decided to keep the pregnancy. According to her complaint, SpaceX then allowed him to transfer $3.7 million in stock options to avoid paying as much child support as he would have.
Her lawsuit also alleges that SpaceX has retaliated against her for making complaints by increasing her workload even though she’s been approved for several accommodations due to stress in the workplace.
SpaceX is also facing a separate proposed class action lawsuit that claims the company discriminates against women and racial minorities when it comes to pay and getting promotions. California is also investigating complaints made by a group of former employees who say SpaceX tolerates frequent harassment of and discrimination against female workers. Additionally, the National Labor Relations Board is investigating claims that those same employees were fired illegally for sharing a letter that accused founder and CEO Elon Musk of sexism.
Despite all the lawsuits, SpaceX maintains that it has done nothing wrong and has filed a lawsuit claiming the NLRB is unconstitutional. As the Associated Press reports, Amazon and Trader Joe’s are also claiming the NLRB is unconstitutional as they attempt to fight unionization efforts. It seems unlikely that the courts would side with SpaceX, Amazon and Trader Joe’s to dismantle the NLRB, but considering the makeup of the Supreme Court these days, it’s not completely out of the question.