If you’ve grudgingly followed the unseamly goings-ons in the defamation case filed against Tesla CEO Elon Musk by a British cave diver, things just took a turn. Documents filed to a California federal court this week by Vernon Unsworth’s lawyers reveal a plotline worthy of a better-than-average sitcom.
In stating their client’s side of the story, Unsworth’s legal team showcased communications from from Musk, in which the CEO expressed regret for calling the cave diver “pedo guy” on Twitter and sending accusatory emails to a Buzzfeed reporter. It also seems that the private eye Musk hired to dig up dirt on Unsworth is a convicted fraudster who’s now back in jail for parole violation.
Calling Musk a “thin-skinned billionaire” who attacked their client for criticizing Musk’s homemade submarine (an element of the Thai trapped-kids saga in which Unsworth played a key role), Unsworth’s legal team laid out evidence that their client did not marry a 12-year-old child bride — and that Musk knew it. The team hopes to collect $75,000 from Musk, plus punitive damages, clearing Unsworth’s name in the process.
The court document, posted by Buzzfeed, includes choice bits of communication between Musk and various outsiders, including an email to a PR consultant in which he calls himself a “fucking idiot” for embarking down this path.
The so-called P.I., James Howard-Higgins, allegedly contacted Musk out of the blue and offered to dig into Unsworth’s past. Unsworth’s lawyers cite evidence showing that the P.I told Musk that Unsworth’s Thai partner was at least 18 or 19 when they met, but Musk still emailed a reporter later that day to claim the British diver had married a 12-year-old. Unsworth’s team says he met his partner, Woranan “Tik” Ratrawiphukkun, in 2011 when she was 32.
Musk told the PR consultant that telling the reporter the story about the 12-year-old “was still one of the dumbest things I’ve ever done.” For his work, Musk paid Howard-Higgins $52,000, offering a $10,000 bonus if he uncovered real dirt. Musk is also alleged to have asked the P.I.’s help in leaking negative stories about Unsworth to media in Australia and the UK.
In another email, Musk claimed he could see why the homemade submarine looked like a “narcissistic PR stunt.”
Speaking of, the document claims that during the rescue of the trapped Thai soccer team, Musk and company were busying themselves in a little PR work of themselves, attempting to get a Thai regional governor to withdraw a statement that Musk’s submarine wouldn’t work.
As we’ve stated before, it’s interesting to learn the type of person who’s behind your favorite car. Musk, in the meantime, is attempting to have the suit dropped.
[Image: Tesla]
12 is 32 in Metric. Or something.
One of the key indicators one is a narcissistic sociopath is the steadfast refusal to admit you were wrong. Elon *could* have nipped this in the bud with an apology and a “it was something I said out of frustration and didn’t mean it.”
but noooo, he has to go pay fraudsters in vain hope they might prove him right.
^^ This.
I find it quite perplexing that someone supposedly so smart is actually dumber than a box of rocks and should be in a mental institution where he can be given meds and monitored for any outbreaks of the buffoonery that he is well know for!!!
$75k suit, that’s all? Musk should settle for asking price and walk away.
but that would mean admitting in public that he was wrong. not happening.
Agreed that’s likely. He must have a legal team that’s able to give him sound advice that he’s ignoring. He’s nuts.
Yeah, he got bonked by the SEC for millions over his “420” tweets, so settling for pennies in this case is worth a fight. Makes no sense – he always has to be right.
“plus punitive damages”
I bet there’s some legal difference at $75K. Possibly something to do with international libel suits. Maybe during trial, they can ask for a lot more, and of course punitive damages.
That’s just the personal damages. There will be punitive damages and payment for lawyers and court costs.
It is not surprising that the suit survived a Motion to Dismiss. This is kind of a textbook example of libel/defamation.
This is a guaranteed win at trial; if I was the Plaintiff, I might refuse to settle just to create maximum embarrassment for His Muskiness.
(Not to mention that the standard non-disclosure terms that are part of any settlement would inevitably lead to Fanboi’s theorizing that it was quietly-settled because there was something to the allegations after all. I mean, this is the same group of people that blames Short Sellers for any negative story, and was eagerly nodding their heads that there was something inherently Super-Suspicious about somebody moving to Thailand.)
CEO of the year……NOT. just an immature child really. Can’t believe any one would invest in this tool. Fleeced tsla shareholders of 2.6 Billion with the solarcity buy out which netted him a cool 560 million.
I dunno, sounds like he’s perfectly qualified to be president of the USA.
My thought exactly, but I didn’t want to start something!
+ For speaking the truth .
-Nate
Memo to Unsworth’s legal team: add a few zeroes before the decimal point. Make him feel it in the only way a billionaire can.
Musk’s billions can’t protect his fragile ego. That’ll hurt more than any dollar amount.