Elon Musk says the "pedo guy" has not hinted that the British cave diver was a pedophile

(Reuters) – Elon Musk said on Monday that he had no plans to blame a British pedophile diver by calling him "pedo-player" on Twitter, the director of Tesla Inc. seeking to dismiss a libel suit.

Musk posted the tweet after which he apologized after Vernon Unsworth accused him in an interview with CNN of helping the dive team rescue 12 boys and their football coach from a cave of Thailand in July 2018.

Unsworth brought a lawsuit two months later in the Los Angeles federal court, claiming that Musk had falsely labeled him a pedophile rapist and a child.

"The" Pedo "type was a common insult in South Africa when I was growing up," said Musk, 48, raised in Pretoria. "It's synonymous with" terrifying old man "and is used to insult a person's appearance and behavior.

"I did not intend to accuse Mr Unsworth of engaging in pedophilia," Musk added. "In response to insults he had suffered during the interview with CNN, I wanted to insult him again by expressing my opinion that he looked like a scary old man."

Musk also said that his "confidential" email of August 2018 to a BuzzFeed News reporter asking him to "stop defending child rapists" was relying on a report from a private investigator on Unsworth. , and that he did not know that this statement was false.

Unsworth denied Musk's allegations and said he had shared a house in the Thai countryside with a 40-year-old woman who owned a nail salon.

L. Lin Wood, Unsworth's attorney, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The conflict erupted after Unsworth told CNN that a submarine offered by the Musk SpaceX company for the rescue of Tham Luang Nang No Cave was a "public relations operation" and that Musk could "stick" his submarine where it hurt. "

In a related case, Musk's lawyers called Unsworth a public figure on cave rescue issues.

They stated that this required Insworth to demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that Musk had made his statements against him with "real malice", according to a high standard.

Unsworth claims compensatory and punitive damages. A trial is scheduled for December 2.

The use of Musk on Twitter has led to a lawsuit in the United States. A settlement approved in April indicates when Musk must obtain the prior approval of a Tesla securities solicitor before being released.

The case is Unsworth c. Musk, US District Court, Central District of California, No. 18-08048.