A Black technician is suing SpaceX for workplace discrimination, alleging he was fired for tardiness while caring for his daughter, who was recovering from a heart transplant.
L’Tavious Rice, 38, claims that Elon Musk’s rocket company ignored white workers’ lateness—even manipulating time records to hide it—yet fired him for being late.
“Space X turned a blind eye to several white co-workers showing up late, or failing to show up at all,” Rice’s attorney, Stephanie Perez, told The Independent. “We believe supervisors manipulated time entries to erase co-workers’ late clock-ins, concealing the tardiness. The same grace was not extended to Mr. Rice.”
Rice’s complaint described the manner in which SpaceX treated him as “deliberate, cold, callous, cruel and intentional.” Rice alleged that the company’s human resources department began targeting him after he made it clear that he intended to testify truthfully against a former supervisor accused of wrongdoing in an unrelated case, according to the Independent, which obtained the lawsuit.
“HR began retaliating against [Rice], implementing strict application of the point system,” the complaint stated, referring to a policy that penalizes employees for tardiness or unexcused absences.
SpaceX terminated Rice in August 2024, citing the point system, according to the complaint, even though his bosses had previously “encouraged him to take time off as needed” due to his daughter’s medical condition.
Rice, who filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles before it was moved to a federal court, is seeking at least $500,000 in general damages for emotional and mental distress and aggravation, and economic damages for lost wages, the Independent reported.
The Daily Beast has reached out to SpaceX for comment.
The space launch company has also landed in President Donald Trump’s crosshairs amid his ongoing feud with Musk following the 54-year-old billionaire’s exit from the White House. Trump, 79, has threatened to strip SpaceX of its federal contracts—reportedly valued at around $22 billion—in response to Musk’s criticism of the GOP’s “Big Beautiful Bill.”
“Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday. “No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE.”
On Tuesday, Trump said he would “take a look” at denaturalizing and deporting Musk, who reportedly spent $288 million toward securing the MAGA figurehead’s second presidential term.
SpaceX is fighting a separate federal discrimination lawsuit brought by an employee suffering from Crohn’s disease, who claims his supervisors timed his toilet breaks. Douglas Altshuler, 58, says he was let go after he pushed back against the alleged monitoring of his restroom use.
In 2024, Musk and SpaceX were sued by eight engineers who allege the world’s richest man ordered their firing after they raised concerns about sexual harassment and gender discrimination at the company.
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