Elon Musk has denounced as "utterly untrue" claims in a news report that he sexually harassed a flight attendant on a private jet in 2016, Reuters said.
Shares of the electric carmaker skidded more than 10 percent on Friday amid concerns that the alleged sexual misconduct and Musk's political comments could threaten to damage Tesla's brand and sales, the report said.
On Thursday, Business Insider reported that the Musk, CEO, Tesla Inc's private company SpaceX paid $250,000 in 2018 to settle a sexual harassment claim from an unnamed private jet flight attendant who accused Musk of exposing himself to her, the report said.
The article quoted an anonymous person who said she was a friend of the flight attendant. The friend had provided a statement as part of the private settlement process, according to the article.
"I have a challenge to this liar who claims their friend saw me 'exposed' – describe just one thing, anything at all (scars, tattoos, …) that isn't known by the public. She won't be able to do so, because it never happened," Musk tweeted.
Reuters report mentioned it was not able to verify the Business Insider account.
(With inputs from Reuters)
