Elongate scandal: Musk denies 'wild accusations' of sexual harassment
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Besides running Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), SpaceX (SPACE), The Boring Company and Neuralink, as well as trying/not trying to take over Twitter (NYSE:TWTR), Elon Musk has another thing to deal with. Insider has reported that SpaceX (SPACE) shelled out $250,000 in severance to a flight attendant who had accused the billionaire of sexual misconduct. The alleged incident occurred in Musk's room aboard a SpaceX (SPACE) jet in late 2016 during an in-flight, full-body massage that is apparently not unusual among company executives.
The reports: In addition to exposing himself, Musk allegedly rubbed the flight attendant's thigh and offered to buy her a horse if she would "do more" during the in-flight massage. She rejected his proposition and went on to file a complaint with SpaceX's (SPACE) human resources department in 2018, claiming her career opportunities had been hurt by her refusal and she was being retaliated against when her shifts were cut back. SpaceX (SPACE) took the issue to a mediator, and the woman signed a restrictive non-disclosure and non-disparagement clause that included a promise to never discuss the severance payment or divulge any information of any kind about Musk and his businesses. 
Insider said it contacted Musk for comment, but he emailed back to ask for more time to respond, saying there was "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." The account was leaked by the flight attendant's friend, who felt that "remaining silent would make her complicit."
Response via Twitter: "For the record, those wild accusations are utterly untrue. 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 attacks against me should be viewed through a political lens - this is their standard (despicable) playbook â but nothing will deter me from fighting for a good future and your right to free speech. Finally, we get to use Elongate as scandal name. It's kinda perfect."