Former SpaceX employee claims her supervisor got her pregnant and offered $100K for an abortion

A judge has again rejected SpaceX's attempt to obtain medical records from a former employee who alleges she became pregnant after being coerced into a sexual relationship with her supervisor.Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Tony L. Richardson ruled there was no legal basis to grant SpaceX's request to force Michelle Dopak to authorize the release of her medical records."The court does not have the power to create additional methods of discovery and will not do so here," Richardson wrote in his July 29 ruling.Plaintiff Michelle Dopak alleges in her Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit that she suffered discrimination and harassment while working at SpaceX (Reuters)The judge noted, however, that if SpaceX serves a request for production of documents, Dopak would be required to provide any medical records in her possession, custody or control.Dopak sued SpaceX in March 2024, alleging she was subjected to discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation and unequal pay while working at the company's Hawthorne, California, headquarters.According to the lawsuit, Dopak was hired in 2017 as a production coordinator and was paid $5,000 less than a male colleague hired at the same time to perform the same job. She also alleges she was repeatedly denied promotions after complaining about discrimination.A live feed shows SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on the day of SpaceX's initial public offering (IPO) at the Nasdaq MarketSite, in New York City in June (Reuters)The lawsuit further alleges a supervisor persuaded her to enter into a sexual relationship and later promoted her in exchange for continuing that relationship. Dopak claims she believed refusing his alleged demands would harm her career.According to the complaint, Dopak later became pregnant and the supervisor allegedly offered her $100,000 to have an abortion, which she refused. She also alleges SpaceX management knew about the pregnancy but took no disciplinary action against the married supervisor."It was immediately apparent that SpaceX had (the supervisor's) proverbial back and that (Dopak) needed to remain silent or risk losing her job," her attorneys wrote in court filings.In opposing SpaceX's latest motion, Dopak's lawyers called the request for her medical records "a waste of judicial resources," arguing it should have been withdrawn after the judge previously quashed subpoenas seeking the records.SpaceX, however, argued Dopak—not the company—was prolonging the discovery dispute.In court filings, the company said its requests were "narrowly tailored" to records related to Dopak's emotional distress and disability claims and accused her of "stonewalling and forcing motion practice at every turn."The case is scheduled to go to trial on April 20, 2027.