Federal Judge Dismisses Disability Discrimination Lawsuit Against Elon Musk's X

A federal judge in California dismissed a lawsuit alleging that Elon Musk's social media company, X, forced out workers with disabilities by barring remote work. The case, filed by former manager Dmitry Borodaenko, was dismissed for lack of specific evidence, with the option to amend the claims.

A federal judge in California dismissed a lawsuit on Wednesday accusing social media platform X of forcing out workers with disabilities after Elon Musk barred employees from working remotely. The case, filed by former engineering manager Dmitry Borodaenko, did not present sufficient evidence showing that Musk's office mandate specifically affected disabled employees, according to U.S. District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin in San Francisco.

Judge Martinez-Olguin provided Borodaenko four weeks to file an amended lawsuit with more detailed claims. Borodaenko, a cancer survivor, contends he was fired shortly after Musk acquired X, previously known as Twitter, due to his refusal to return to the office during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lawsuit alleges X violated federal laws requiring accommodations for workers with disabilities.

Elon Musk sent a memo to staff in November 2022, urging employees to be prepared for 'long hours at high intensity' or to quit, and later tweeted against remote work. Judge Martinez-Olguin ruled that a ban on remote work does not constitute disability discrimination. X responded to multiple requests for comment with emails stating 'busy now, please check back later.' The dismissal is part of several lawsuits filed by former employees following Musk's acquisition and major layoffs at X.

(With inputs from agencies.)