He disclosed a disability and requested leave — then alleges he was shown the door
SpaceX allegedly fired a 12-year employee after he disclosed a back disability and requested workplace accommodations and medical leave.
Jon "Pat" Phelps, who worked as a launch pad technician at the company's Vandenberg site in Santa Barbara County, California, filed suit on April 6 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. He is accusing Space Exploration Technologies Corp. of disability discrimination, failure to accommodate his condition, retaliation under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and violation of the Family Medical Leave Act (Phelps v. Space Exploration Technologies Corp., No. 2:26-cv-03632).
According to the lawsuit, Phelps joined SpaceX around 2013 and spent roughly 12 years with the company. During that time, he developed a back condition that, the filing says, significantly limited his ability to carry out everyday activities.
Things began to unravel in the fall of 2024. Phelps told his employer about his condition and that he expected to need surgery the following spring. He asked for time off to see doctors and undergo evaluations ahead of the procedure, and requested a move to a less physically demanding position. That request, the suit says, was turned down.
Over the following months, Phelps submitted medical paperwork documenting his restrictions. By late January 2025, his physician had completed SpaceX's own accommodation request form, confirming a physical impairment that limited major life activities, with work restrictions still in place pending further evaluation.
None of it appeared to matter.
On March 7, 2025, two supervisors pulled Phelps into a meeting and told him he was done. The reasons given, according to the filing, were that he had missed time from work and did not seem motivated at work. Phelps reminded them of his back condition. He was told it was his last day, sent home, and informed that human resources would be in touch.
That same day, SpaceX offered him a separation agreement — severance in exchange for giving up his right to take legal action. Phelps later walked it back, revoking the agreement without accepting any payment. He then filed a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which issued a right-to-sue letter on January 9, 2026.
No determination has been made in the case, and SpaceX has not yet responded to the allegations.
For HR leaders, the case lands squarely in familiar but high-stakes territory. It touches on how companies handle accommodation requests, respond when employees flag a need for medical leave, and navigate transfer requests tied to a disability. The timing of a termination — coming shortly after an employee has put the company on notice about a medical condition and an upcoming surgery — is the kind of fact pattern that tends to draw scrutiny, in courtrooms and well beyond.
