Los Angeles: Tesla CEO Elon Musk will have to go to trial to defend himself for mocking a British diver as a pedophile in a verbal sparring match that unfolded last summer after the underwater rescue of youth soccer players trapped in a Thailand cave.
A federal court judge in Los Angeles set an Oct. 22 trial date in a Friday court filing that rejected Musk’s attempt to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed by British diver Vernon Unsworth.
Musk called Unsworth a “pedo” in a July 15 post on this Twitter account after Unsworth dismissed Musk’s attempts to help rescue the soccer players as a “PR stunt.”
Musk contended his insult was protected from legal action, but the judge overseeing the case disagreed.
Unsworth derided the submarine that Musk had built for a rescue mission, prompting Musk to lash back on Twitter. The suit also seeks order prohibiting Musk from making any further disparaging comments.
