Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla Inc, was sued for defamation on Monday for falsely suggesting that a British caver who helped rescue 12 boys and their soccer coach from a Thailand cave in July was a pedophile and child rapist.

Vernon Unsworth, who lives north of London, sued over Musk’s July 15 tweet to more than 22 million followers referring to him as a “pedo guy,” a comment for which Musk later apologized.

He also claimed that Musk falsely called him a child rapist and sex trafficker in an Aug. 30 email to BuzzFeed News.

Tesla did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Musk and the company.

Unsworth is seeking at least $75,000 of compensatory damages plus unspecified punitive damages in his complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

The Hertfordshire County resident said he also plans to file a second lawsuit with the High Court of London for reputational damage suffered in the United Kingdom.

“Elon Musk falsely accused Vernon Unsworth of being guilty of heinous crimes,” L. Lin Wood, a lawyer for Unsworth, said in a statement. “Musk’s influence and wealth cannot convert his lies into truth or protect him from accountability.”

The case adds to a slew of litigation against Musk, including over his running of Palo Alto, California-based Tesla.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-musk-lawsuit/teslas-musk-is-sued-for-calling-thai-cave-rescuer-pedophile-idUSKCN1LX26N