SpaceX must face sex-bias claims after appeals court rejects arbitration request

By Blake Brittain Nov 10 (Reuters) – SpaceX must face a lawsuit accusing it of illegally firing eight engineers who raised concerns ​about alleged sexual harassment and discrimination ‌at the company after a US appeals court on Tuesday rejected its request to send the case to private arbitration. • The San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit ‌Court ​of Appeals upheld a ⁠federal judge’s ruling that ⁠the engineers’ claims were exempt from the arbitration agreements they signed at SpaceX and can continue in court. • Spokespeople for SpaceX ​did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the decision. • The engineers’ ⁠attorney, Laurie Burgess, said they ⁠were “delighted” with the court’s “well-reasoned” decision. • The ​engineers filed the lawsuit in 2024, claiming SpaceX ​CEO Elon Musk ordered their firing after ‌they circulated a letter calling the billionaire a “distraction and embarrassment” and urging executives to disavow sexually charged comments he made on social ⁠media. • The lawsuit said Musk’s conduct fostered a “pervasively sexist culture” at SpaceX where female engineers were routinely ⁠subjected to ‌harassment and sexist comments. • SpaceX ⁠has denied the allegations. • The 9th ​Circuit ‌on Tuesday rejected SpaceX’s argument ​that the ⁠claims were not covered by a federal law that allows individuals to pursue lawsuits in “sexual harassment disputes” regardless of arbitration agreements. (Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and ​Matthew Lewis)