A former employee of SpaceX, Douglas Altshuler, has filed a federal lawsuit against the Elon Musk-led company, claiming he was unlawfully disciplined and terminated for taking frequent restroom breaks due to his chronic medical condition.
Altshuler, 58, who suffers from Crohn’s disease, says his supervisors timed his restroom visits, reprimanded him for exceeding a 10-minute limit, and ignored his requests for reasonable accommodations.
The lawsuit also alleges retaliation for raising workplace safety concerns, and it highlights broader issues around disability rights and employee protections in high-demand tech environments.
Medical Condition Ignored Despite Verbal Assurances
Douglas Altshuler began working for SpaceX’s Starlink division in Redmond, Washington, in June 2023. Initially, the job as a customer support representative went smoothly. However, things began to deteriorate in early 2024, when his supervisors reportedly started monitoring his bathroom usage.
Altshuler’s Crohn’s disease requires him to use the restroom every 35 to 45 minutes—up to 14 times during a typical shift. Despite this, he says he was timed and reprimanded if he exceeded 10 minutes per break.
In response to the increasing scrutiny, Altshuler submitted a letter from his physician requesting accommodation for his condition. While his managers initially gave verbal assurances that his restroom use would not be restricted or tracked, the reality proved quite different.
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The lawsuit claims SpaceX’s HR department asked Altshuler to fill out formal accommodation paperwork, but since leadership had verbally acknowledged his medical needs, he did not complete the forms. Despite this, the same supervisors who gave those assurances later reprimanded him again, eventually limiting his bathroom privileges.
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Altshuler’s performance was subsequently reviewed negatively for the first time. His manager cited performance deficiencies that had not previously been mentioned. These actions, the lawsuit alleges, were not only discriminatory but directly contradicted the reasonable accommodations he had been verbally promised.
Retaliation After Reporting Unsafe Conditions
Altshuler’s troubles did not stop with restroom restrictions. In October 2024, he was assigned to a new supervisor who allegedly continued the same practice of threatening termination over frequent bathroom use. Meanwhile, his former supervisor maintained a watchful eye over his work, reportedly listening to his customer support calls and reviewing his tickets.
The work environment grew increasingly hostile, prompting Altshuler to raise concerns with SpaceX’s human resources department once again. In November 2024, he filed a workers’ compensation claim and went on medical leave following a chemical exposure incident at the workplace.
During this period, he also reported several safety violations to OSHA and Washington state regulators, including the alarming claim that industrial components were being dried in a breakroom oven—an appliance used by employees to heat their food.
Altshuler believed his reports were being ignored internally, so he approached the head of SpaceX’s HR directly and revealed that he had contacted external safety authorities. Shortly afterward, in January 2025, he was informed that the company had found his concerns “unsubstantiated.” Three days later, he was fired for what SpaceX described as “deficient performance.”
According to his attorney, Clive Pontusson, a former trial lawyer with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, multiple government regulators have since confirmed the legitimacy of several of Altshuler’s concerns regarding the unsafe work environment. This suggests that his firing may have been directly linked to his whistleblowing activities and medical accommodation requests.
Legal Allegations and Broader Implications for Workers’ Rights
The lawsuit filed by Altshuler is comprehensive in its scope. It accuses SpaceX of disability discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination, failure to provide reasonable accommodations, and creating an unsafe workplace. Furthermore, the complaint includes claims of being underpaid, denied proper meal breaks, and exposed to hazardous chemicals.
Altshuler also asserts that his mental health has suffered significantly due to the company’s treatment. He describes experiencing mental anguish, humiliation, and a diminished quality of life. His legal team contends that the actions taken against him were not only unjust but illegal under federal and state labor laws, including provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
This case brings to light serious concerns about how some high-tech companies manage employees with chronic health conditions, especially in demanding, fast-paced work environments. It also underscores the importance of honoring accommodation requests and ensuring that employees who report safety violations are protected from retaliation.
If Altshuler’s allegations are proven true in court, it could set a precedent for how companies—especially major players like SpaceX—handle employee accommodations and safety complaints. The case may also prompt closer scrutiny of workplace practices in the tech and aerospace sectors, where employees often feel pressure to meet extreme performance expectations.
As the lawsuit moves forward, it is likely to attract significant public attention. The allegations not only challenge the internal policies of one of the most high-profile companies in the world but also raise fundamental questions about workers’ rights, corporate responsibility, and the balance between innovation and humane labor practices.
Altshuler’s story reflects the difficult path many employees face when standing up for their rights in the workplace, particularly when their health is on the line. Whether the courts will side with him remains to be seen, but his case already stands as a powerful reminder of the importance of enforcing labor protections in every corner of the modern workforce.