Elon Musk sued by volunteer rescue of Thai cave

Vernon Unsworth, a Thai cave rescue volunteer, sued Tesla chief executive Elon Musk for declaring Unsworth a "pedo" and "child molester".

The defamation lawsuit will extend an episode that has prompted even the biggest Musk fans to complain, many of Musk's electric car manufacturer, Tesla, wondering why he remains so determined to double what they see as an embarrassment. -infligée.

Unsworth is demanding more than $ 75,000, the legal minimum, to compensate for the "global damage" he suffered as a result of Musk's Musk attacks in July against more than 22 million Twitter subscribers. Unsworth, through his lawyer, said Musk's complaint was unfounded and lacked evidence.

"Elon Musk has wrongfully accused Vern Unsworth of being guilty of heinous crimes," Unsworth's lawyer, L. Lin Wood, said in a statement. "Musk's influence and wealth can not turn his lies into truth or protect him from responsibility for his wrongdoing in court." The case was brought before the District Court of the Central District of California. A separate trial is under way in London for the damages suffered by Unsworth, who is British, in England and Wales, said his lawyer.

Musk and Tesla have not responded to requests for comment and it is unclear who will represent it. Unsworth was not available for comment.

[Elon Musk’s ‘pedo’ attack rattles Tesla investors: ‘This thing is unraveling’]

In June, when a boys' football team and their coach were found stranded in a cave dug in northern Thailand, relief officials turned to Unsworth for help. The experienced cave explorer had inspected the narrow passages of the underground system since his first visit to the country in 2012.

As the dangerous rescue garnered worldwide attention, Musk pledged to lead a team of engineers to build a mini-submarine capable of crossing the cramped arteries of the cavern and driving the boys into action. security.

An international team of divers and rescue workers, one of whom, a Thai navy, SEAL, died during the operation, finally brought the boys to the surface on July 10th. The Musk mini-submarine was not used.

The proposal for a Musk mini-submarine prompted immediate skepticism, particularly from Unsworth, who told CNN after the rescue that the "stuntman of public relations" had "no chance to work" and that Musk

Two days later, Musk tweeted that Unsworth was a pedophile and that Musk would make a video of the mini-submarine proving that Unsworth was wrong: "Sorry, mate pedo, you really asked for it.

On July 18, in the midst of Tesla investors' criticism, Musk apologized and tweeted that his "words were spoken angrily after Mr. Unsworth had said several lies." But he has not publicly disavowed these claims. In a tweet in late August, Musk hinted that the lack of prosecution was evidence of Unsworth's guilt, saying, "You do not think it's strange that he does not did not sue?

Unsworth's lawyer provided a letter to Musk, dated August 6, that he was preparing a defamation suit against him. But in emails sent last month to BuzzFeed, Musk added to the attack, saying Unsworth was a "child rapist" who had settled in Thailand for a 12-year-old bride. He also said that he was provocative in the face of a lawsuit, writing: "I [expletive] I hope he pursues me.

Musk has never provided evidence for his claims and the independent efforts to justify them have failed. Unsworth's lawyer said he shared a house with his other companion, a 40-year-old manicure salon owner, in the countryside near Chiang Rai, Thailand.

The summer of Musk's chaos has shaken Tesla, the all-electric automaker that has been fighting for months on mass layoffs, a leadership exodus and what Musk has described as a whirlwind of manufacturing and Delivery. The company's shares have fallen 22 percent since the peak reached last month and doubts have been raised about the possibility, as Musk recently promised, to end its long losses.

Last month, Musk tweeted that he had the "secured financing" for an agreement now gone to take Tesla privately, surprise investors and board members and trigger an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and stated that his friends The workload he had given himself was harming his physical health. Earlier this month, in an interview with comedian Joe Rogan, he smoked marijuana and waved a samurai sword.

[Elon Musk: Tesla has moved from ‘production hell’ to ‘delivery logistics hell’]

The lawsuit could amplify Tesla's calls to install a high-ranking cadre or co-captain capable of mastering Musk's more self-destructive instincts. James Anderson, a fund manager at Baillie Gifford – Tesla's biggest investor outside of Musk – said last week: "He needs help, both psychologically and practically".

Gene Munster, Managing Partner of Loup Ventures, said last week that Musk's many self-inflicted scandals were beginning to tarnish the fame he had built as a "malicious billionaire."

"More recently, Musk's aura seemed a jolt, a daunting part and a liar part," said Munster. "He's certainly not winning new fans with his way of playing."