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Elon Musk testifies in California 'pedo guy' court case Elon Musk testifies in California 'pedo guy' court case
(about 2 hours later)
Tesla founder Elon Musk has appeared in court in California to answer a lawsuit brought by a British cave diver he called "pedo guy" on Twitter. Tesla founder Elon Musk has appeared in court in Los Angeles to answer a lawsuit brought by a British cave diver he called "pedo guy" on Twitter.
Vernon Unsworth, who helped rescue 12 boys trapped in a Thai cave last year, is suing for defamation.Vernon Unsworth, who helped rescue 12 boys trapped in a Thai cave last year, is suing for defamation.
Mr Musk, the first to testify at the Los Angeles court, said Mr Unsworth had insulted him, so he insulted him back. Mr Musk, the first to testify at the court, said Mr Unsworth had insulted him, so he had insulted him back.
He said the "pedo guy" tweet was not meant to be taken literally. The 48-year-old said the "pedo guy" tweet had not been meant to be taken literally.
Mr Unsworth's legal team have described Mr Musk's tweet as "vile and false" and are seeking punitive damages. Mr Unsworth's legal team have described Mr Musk's now-deleted tweet as "vile and false" and are seeking unspecified punitive damages.
The Tesla and SpaceX billionaire posted the tweet, since deleted, after Mr Unsworth publicly rejected his proposal to use a mini-submarine to rescue the boys - members of a football team who became trapped deep inside a cave in northern Thailand in June 2018. The Tesla and SpaceX billionaire posted the message after Mr Unsworth publicly rejected his proposal to use a mini-submarine to rescue the boys, members of a football team who became trapped deep inside a cave in northern Thailand in June 2018 in a case that captured the world's attention.
In a TV interview at the time, Mr Unsworth dismissed the idea as a PR stunt and suggested the American "stick his submarine where it hurts". But in an interview on CNN after the successful rescue, Mr Unsworth called the idea a "PR stunt" and suggested the American "stick his submarine where it hurts". Two days later, Mr Musk wrote a series of tweets including one describing Mr Unsworth as a "pedo guy".
This prompted a series of tweets from Mr Musk, including one describing Mr Unsworth as a "pedo guy". In his court testimony, Mr Musk - who has 29.8 million Twitter followers - said Mr Unsworth's comments were "wrong and insulting, and so I insulted him back", adding: "It was an unprovoked attack on what was a good-natured attempt to help the kids."
In his court testimony, Mr Musk said Mr Unsworth's comments to CNN were "wrong and insulting, and so I insulted him back." He said he had thought Mr Unsworth "was just some random creepy guy" and "unrelated to the rescue", and that he had not expected the tweet to be taken literally. "I assume he didn't mean to sodomise me with a submarine... Just as I didn't literally mean he was a paedophile."
What Mr Unsworth said on television was "unprovoked attack on what was a good-natured attempt to help the kids", Mr Musk said. The Tesla boss apologised to the cave diver in court, looking directly at him and saying: "I apologised in a tweet and again in the deposition, and I'll say it again: I apologise to Mr Unsworth." Mr Unsworth did not testify on Tuesday.
He told the court he had thought Mr Unsworth "was just some random creepy guy" and "unrelated to the rescue". Mr Musk's lawyer, Alex Spiro, said in his opening statements that the term "pedo guy" was a common insult in South Africa, where the billionaire grew up, meaning "creepy old man", and described the messages as "joking, taunting tweets in a fight between men".
The Tesla boss apologised directly to the cave diver in court, looking directly at him. But Lin Wood, a lawyer for Mr Unsworth, tried to show that Mr Musk had meant what he said by citing a separate tweet in which Mr Musk, after being questioned about the allegation by other users, said, "Bet ya a signed dollar it's true." That tweet was also later deleted.
"I apologised in a tweet and again in the deposition, and I'll say it again - I apologise to Mr Unsworth," he said. Then, in an email exchange with a Buzzfeed reporter who had contacted him for comments on a threat of a legal case by Mr Unsworth, Mr Musk said, "Stop defending child rapists."
In a filing as part of a failed request to have the case thrown out of court Mr Musk had suggested that in South Africa, where he grew up, the term "pedo guy" is a common insult meaning "creepy old man" and does not accuse someone of paedophilia. Mr Unsworth's legal team say this is "offensive to the truth". In the packed courtroom, Mr Musk also acknowledged paying $52,000 (£40,000) to a man who had posed as a private detective to dig up information on Mr Unsworth after it became clear he would be sued. The investigator turned out to be a conman, Mr Musk said.
Mr Musk's comments on Twitter have been controversial on other occasions and in April he reached a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over his tweets, which also puts a restriction on his use of the platform.
The judge has denied the defence's request to define Mr Unsworth as a "public figure" - meaning lawyers for Mr Unsworth do not have to prove Mr Musk acted with "actual malice", lowering the bar necessary to win the case.The judge has denied the defence's request to define Mr Unsworth as a "public figure" - meaning lawyers for Mr Unsworth do not have to prove Mr Musk acted with "actual malice", lowering the bar necessary to win the case.
The case continues.