Elon Musk has denied reports he sexually harrassed a flight attendant on his private jet and then paid out $250,000 for a severance deal with a pledge not to sue his company.
The unnamed attendant accused Musk of exposing himself to her, rubbing her leg without consent and offering to buy her a horse if she performed an erotic massage during a 2016 flight, according to a report in Business Insider.
Quickly Musk dismissed the unverified report, based on documents and interviews with a friend of the woman as “wild accusations” that “are utterly untrue”.
The report also claims Musk, the world’s richest person, wanted all airline hospitality staff to train themselves in massage therapy at their own expense.
Without referring directly to the accusations, Musk tweeted on Friday that attacks against him should be “viewed through a political lens” and that he would continue to fight for “your right to free speech”.
He further mocked the reports tweeting with a laughing emoji: “Finally, we get to use Elongate as scandal name. It’s kinda perfect.”
The attacks against me should be viewed through a political lens – this is their standard (despicable) playbook – but nothing will deter me from fighting for a good future and your right to free speech
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 20, 2022
In the story, which has not been independently verified by the Standard, the flight attendant told her friend that the billionaire asked her to come to his room during a flight in late 2016 “for a full body massage”.
She allegedly found Musk “completely naked except for a sheet covering the lower half of his body”, according to a legal declaration.
During the massage, the declaration said, Musk “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 attendant, who rides horses, declined and continued with the massage without engaging in any sexual conduct.
Responding to requests for comment for Insider’s article, Musk said there was “a lot more to this story”.
He wrote: “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”.
Musk said the story was a “politically motivated hit piece”.
The allegations came as Musk stoked speculation he may walk away from his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter after tweeting he would not proceed until he had proof that fewer than 5 per cent of accounts on Twitter were fake or spam.
In a statement, Twitter said it was “committed to completing the transaction on the agreed price and terms as promptly as practicable”.
Musk shocked the business world last month after striking a lightning quick deal to buy Twitter for $54.20 a share.
SpaceX has been approached for comment.
