Lydia Fillip, a 60-year-old private jet stewardess with decades of flying experience, was fired by Elon Musk’s SpaceX in 2025 amid her cancer battle.
She is now seeking economic damages, compensation for pain and suffering, and a jury trial through a lawsuit.
Her fight for justice spilled into the media on October 7, when a prominent news outlet reviewed her court filing and revealed that she had shared troubling details about the ultra-elite, including claims about one person’s “increasingly obvious” physical relationship with a younger flight attendant.
Highlights
- Lydia Fillip accused SpaceX of favoring younger women on its private flights.
- The veteran stewardess alleged the company overlooked serious safety concerns in the process.
- Fillip was previously listed as a witness to an alleged incident involving Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.
Fillip, for the record, previously made headlines after being listed as a witness in Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s defamation case, having allegedly witnessed an altercation between the pair aboard their aircraft.
A former flight attendant has offered an eye-opening glimpse into the world of the wealthiest
Long before her legal battle with Elon Musk, Fillip’s involvement in Johnny Depp’s case had already given her a glimpse into the world of the famous and rich.
She, who trained at the British Butler Institute of London, was hired by SpaceX in 2023 at $800 a day to fly from the company’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California, to its Texas offices.
In her lawsuit, exclusively viewed by The New York Post, the veteran air hostess claimed she was replaced by younger blonde and brunette hostesses after being favored by chief pilot Connor Grey.
The complaint claims Delainy Reyes, described as being in her early 20s, and 30-something Stacy Brown received “markedly more work” than others thanks to him.
Grey is also accused in the suit of being in a physical relationship with Brown.
Several SpaceX executives flew with the women, per the filing.
Fillip was diagnosed with stage-four melanoma in December 2024, but she claims she worked through immunotherapy treatment until April 2025, when she told Grey she would need to step back for medical reasons.
Despite being cleared to work by her doctors in May 2025, she said she was given only a handful of trips through September and was ultimately fired by phone.
During the call, Grey allegedly told Fillip that he “didn’t like her attitude” and ended the conversation by “coldly wishing” her “good luck.”
Fillip also accused the rocket company of hiring someone with no prior aviation experience
Per Fillip’s lawsuit, 22-year-old Kelly Doak, whose work experience was limited to roles as a door-to-door salesperson and exercise instructor, was surprisingly brought on board.
The complaint details her being placed around “safety-critical equipment of the cabin” regardless, and alleges that she once “left a service cart unattended without its brakes in place.”
Fillip described it as “a serious hazard capable of causing injury to passengers and crew,” and there is no available information on whether she was disciplined over the incident.
She was one of “a series of young conventionally attractive attendants,” Fillip claimed.
Both SpaceX and Grey are named as defendants in the suit.
Netizens defended SpaceX’s hiring decision, arguing that cabin crew work is highly appearance-focused
“Looks are a principal aspect of the job. Youth is a characteristic of it. The employer is free to select from among competing candidates and make replacements,” one person said.
“I’ll bet she didn’t complain when she was a hot young woman who got preferential treatment,” a second remarked.
“She knows how this works, and I’m sure she’s seen this happen to others before,” a third echoed.
Several others branded Fillip’s lawsuit her “retirement plan,” while some pointed out that details about her wage indicate she was a contractor and, as such, SpaceX reserved the right to give her “less hours” or even terminate her at will.
“The fact that she was first hired at age 57 disproves her whole claim,” a separate user said.
Fillip was scheduled to testify on behalf of Johnny Depp in his case against ex-wife Amber Heard
Heard wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post in 2018 in which she said she was a victim of domestic violence.
Although she did not name Depp in the piece, his legal team argued it was clear she meant him.
More details about the claims emerged when Depp filed a $50 million defamation case against Heard in 2022, and she countersued him for $100 million for nuisance.
Fillip was among various high-profile rebuttal witnesses listed by Depp’s lawyers.
During the hearing, Heard claimed that Depp had an outburst of anger and jealousy over her agreeing to work with actor James Franco while they were on a private jet in 2014.
The actress then added that Depp kicked her in the back and threw things at her while also calling her names.
She said all of this happened in front of security and assistants on the plane before accusing Depp of asking the flight attendant for an oxygen tank and continuing to drink.
Fillip was believed to be the same flight attendant, though she was never called to testify.
Attorneys, for those unversed, often choose not to call every person on a witness list if they decide the testimony would be cumulative, unnecessary, or strategically unhelpful.
"I'm sure they gave her a large payout," a netizen said
