A former SpaceX employee has filed a federal discrimination lawsuit, claiming he was disciplined and ultimately fired due to his medical condition. Douglas Altschuler, 58, who suffers from Crohn’s disease, alleges that supervisors at a Washington state facility scolded him for taking necessary bathroom breaks, suggesting he was “blackmailing” them by using the restroom too often.
With Crohn’s disease, Altschuler needs to use the bathroom every 35-45 minutes—which can add up to about 14 times during an eight-hour shift. He began his job at SpaceX in June 2023, working as a customer support representative for Starlink, the company’s satellite internet service. Initially, things were going well, but by early 2024, he states that his supervisor began to monitor and criticize his restroom usage.
In response, Altschuler provided a doctor’s note requesting reasonable accommodations for his condition. Although his supervisor initially agreed to this, he later claimed there would be restrictions on bathroom use despite earlier assurances. Although SpaceX’s HR department asked him to fill out accommodation paperwork, he declined, believing that management had already granted him the necessary accommodations verbally.
Despite this, Altschuler alleges that he faced repercussions for his bathroom visits and received “unsatisfactory” performance reviews due to previously unmentioned issues. In October 2024, after being reassigned to a new supervisor, he claims that he faced further threats related to his restroom breaks.
Even with a new supervisor, old ones continued to scrutinize his work, monitoring client calls and ticket reviews. He brought up these concerns again with HR. In November 2024, after a chemical exposure incident, Altschuler filed a worker’s compensation claim and took three weeks of medical leave. He also reported safety violations, such as industrial parts drying in break room ovens used by staff.
On January 6th, HR dismissed his concerns as “unproven.” Feeling dissatisfied with the response, he reached out to the head of HR but found no resolution. Just three days later, he was terminated for “lack of performance.”
The lawsuit charges SpaceX with discrimination and retaliation and claims the company failed to accommodate his medical needs and address unsafe workplace conditions. Altschuler also contends that he was denied appropriate dietary breaks and exposed to harmful chemicals.
His lawyer, Clive Pontusson, noted that government regulators echoed many of Altschuler’s concerns about SpaceX’s unsafe work environment. The complaint suggests that Altschuler’s firing was influenced by multiple grievances, including accommodation requests and reports to safety officials. He claims this experience has caused him significant emotional distress, humiliation, and a diminished quality of life.
