Elon Musk Defamation Lawsuit: Jury Sides with Mogul in “Pedo Guy” Case
Elon Musk won his Twitter defamation lawsuit. A British diver sued the Tesla founder over a social media quip. But America’s defendant-friendly slander and libel laws favored Musk.
Elon Musk Defamation Lawsuit Background: Twitter Beef Leads to Libel Lawsuit
In 2018, luminaries organized an international rescue effort to free a young soccer team and coach trapped in a cave in Thailand. Anxious to help, the Tesla and Space X teams quickly designed a “minisub” to penetrate the cavity and aid rescuers. Ultimately, however, the device wasn’t much help.
A British diver and rescuer named Vernon Unsworth wasn’t impressed with Musk’s efforts. As is today’s way, he hopped on social media, called it a “PR stunt,” and implored Musk to “stick his submarine where it hurts.”
Musk clapped back and called Unsworth a “pedo guy.” Well, the backlash came in hot, Musk deleted the tweet, and then apologized shortly after posting it.
Despite the apology, Unsworth slapped the mogul with a $190 million online defamation lawsuit.
Jury Sides with Musk
A Los Angeles jury listened to about four days of testimony. At one point, Musk took the stand and explained that in his home country, South Africa, “pedo guy” is a common slang term far removed from pedophilia, though other South Africans claim otherwise.
In the end, however, the jury sided with Musk. When asked about the verdict, the tech icon quipped that his “faith in humanity” had been “restored.”
Legal experts say the ruling marks a “shift the legal landscape” when it comes to online defamation standards.
Lin Wood, Unsworth’s attorney, lamented his client’s loss, cautioned that social media “is tearing at the fabric of society,” and warned that “everyone should be concerned about their reputations” on account of the verdict.
This is not the first time Musk’s tweets have landed him in a legal battle. In 2018, the SEC sued him over tweets about stock prices. Ultimately, the regulators forced him to step down as Tesla’s chairman for a stint.
Click here to read about more high-profile defamation lawsuits.
