Former Intern Sues SpaceX Over Retaliation For A Sexual Harassment Report

Coming off a period of major gains for its business, SpaceX now looks to face a significant challenge to its image. A former intern has sued the Elon Musk-run aerospace company for allegedly retaliating against her report of sexual harassment and gender discrimination, denying her a full-time job offer.

Former intern Julia CrowleyFarenga filed her suit on Aug. 21 in Los Angeles County Superior Court. During her time at SpaceX, she worked a summer internship position 2015-17. During her last summer, she reported the manager she had worked under for three seasons to human resources, noting his behavior made her uncomfortable and he treated her noticeably differently than male colleagues.

CrowleyFarenga said her manager told her not to “talk to men too much” because it might give people “the wrong impression about” why she was with the company. The manager also reportedly spent two-to-three times longer in meetings with her than he did with male workers, and once said “You are unique, I could spend the rest of my life trying to figure you out.”

After meeting with Will Heltsley, vice president of propulsion, she was offered a transfer to a new department, which she accepted. However, after that, she was given a negative performance review, despite receiving five “stellar” reviews previously and despite hearing confirmation from other workers that she was doing a good job.

Once the internship was over, CrowleyFarenga was not asked to return to the company. Later, after applying for a position at SpaceX, she was rejected and told Heltsley had prevented her from getting the job.

CrowleyFarenga is pursuing a jury trial for “emotional injuries, including nervousness, humiliation, depression, anguish, embarrassment, fright, shock, pain, discomfort, fatigue and anxiety” caused by her time at SpaceX.