SpaceX paid $250,000 to settle sexual harassment claim against Elon Musk: Report

Musk was notably silent on the Insider report that SpaceX -- another of the entrepreneur’s passions -- paid an employee $250,000 to settle a claim she was sexually harassed by Musk in 2016.

SpaceX paid an employee $250,000 to settle a claim she was sexually harassed by Elon Musk in 2016, according to a report from Insider.

SpaceX founder and chief engineer Elon Musk. (Reuters / File)

The closely held rocket launch company, of which Musk is founder and chief executive officer, made the payment in 2018 to an unidentified flight attendant who worked as a contract employee on a SpaceX corporate jet, the online news provider said, citing interviews and documents, including a declaration signed by a friend of the attendant and made in support of her claim.

Representatives for Hawthorne, California-based Space Exploration Technologies Corp. did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Musk did not respond to an email seeking comment. Alex Spiro, who serves as Musk’s outside counsel, did not respond to a text message.

The attendant alleged that Musk exposed himself and propositioned her during a flight in a private room on the plane, according to the friend, the report said. Musk offered to buy the attendant a horse in exchange for an erotic massage, it said.