A former employee at Elon Musk-led SpaceX has filed a federal discrimination lawsuit alleging the company disciplined and eventually fired him for using the restroom too often, a necessity due to his medical condition.
Douglas Altshuler, 58, who suffers from Crohn's disease, claims supervisors at SpaceX's Redmond, Washington facility timed each of his restroom breaks, reprimanded him if he exceeded 10 minutes, and even "threatened termination if [he] used the bathroom too often," according to a lawsuit obtained by The Independent.
Mr Altshuler's condition requires him to use the restroom every 35 to 45 minutes, as many as 14 times during a typical eight-hour shift. He began working at SpaceX in June 2023 as a customer support representative for Starlink, the satellite internet arm of the company.
While the job started smoothly, the complaint says things changed in early 2024 when Mr Altshuler's supervisor began monitoring his restroom use and criticising him. Mr Altshuler responded by submitting a physician's letter requesting reasonable accommodation for his Crohn's disease, and his supervisors initially acknowledged his request. One reportedly said he "would never restrict [his] restroom use," while another promised the company wouldn't "question or track his bathroom usage."
SpaceX's HR department asked Mr Altshuler to fill out accommodation forms, but since management had verbally agreed to the accommodation, he declined, saying "leadership confirmed that his bathroom use would not be restricted," the lawsuit says.
Despite this, the complaint alleges that Mr Altshuler was reprimanded for bathroom use and ultimately told his bathroom privileges would again be limited. He also received an "unsatisfactory" performance review from the same supervisor, citing alleged deficiencies that had not been raised previously.
Later, in October 2024, Mr Altshuler was reassigned to a new supervisor. The complaint alleges his new supervisor also "threatened to fire him if he used the toilet 'too often.'"
His previous supervisor also continued to monitor his work closely, he says, listening in on customer calls and reviewing his tickets. Mr Altshuler again raised the issue with HR.
In November 2024, he filed a workers' compensation claim and took three weeks of medical leave after a chemical exposure incident at work. He also reported to OSHA and Washington state regulators that he had witnessed industrial components being dried in a breakroom oven used by employees to heat food.
Mr Altshuler then took his concerns directly to the head of HR, disclosing that he had informed authorities about the company's alleged safety violations.
On January 6, SpaceX HR informed Mr Altshuler that "his concerns... were unsubstantiated." He responded by contacting the company's HR chief, frustrated that his claims had been dismissed. Three days later, he was fired for "deficient performance," according to the complaint.
The lawsuit accuses SpaceX of discrimination, retaliation, failure to accommodate a medical condition, and unsafe workplace practices. It also alleges that Mr Altshuler was denied proper meal breaks, underpaid, and exposed to toxic chemicals.
Clive Pontusson, Altshuler's attorney and a former trial lawyer with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said that government regulators "eventually substantiated many of Mr Altshuler's concerns about an unsafe work environment at SpaceX."
The lawsuit claims Mr Altshuler's termination was influenced by his multiple complaints, including his requests for accommodation and reports to safety regulators. It concludes that the ordeal caused him "mental anguish, humiliation, pain and suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life."
