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
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carmencita ago
This Daily Mail article is full of info. Really Amazing. There were close to 2K comments from readers. All against Musk. I think there is more t this story. Why were so many boys brought there before. Lots of boys knew about it and had been there. Also Unsworth's 40 yr. old wife owns a Nail Salon there, in Thailand? Nail Salons are known for prostitution here and there of young Asian girls and women. Is she only a business partner or what and helped him get a 12 yr. old bride? I am just visiting all options here. That Pattaya Beach which is well known for pedos searching for kids, well it is pretty close to that area. Are all those other boys brought there for pedo reasons? Again just posing questions.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5957895/British-diver-helped-save-Thai-cave-boys-sue-Elon-Musk-pedo-attack.html#comments
According to another article I read by the BBC: The Tham Luang Nang Non cave is the fourth longest in Thailand
Why take them there then? Why would he take those boys there? I can't find an answer. Danger abounds. I am sorry none of the articles I have found seem to say why they went there and how they got in there. There were shoes and bikes and bags found outside of the cave.
Narcissism ago
They boys went there as an initiation rite/ dare as it was one of their birthdays. The plan was to write their names on the furthest back wall. Asian kids especially from Myanmar's ethnic groups tend to have a "Devil may Care" attitude to life. I have known so many that have died or been seriously injured over the years - gang fights, motorcycle accidents, falls, electrocution..
Nail salons in Thailand are just nail salons they are not a front for something. The prostitution thing you refer to is related to some Asian nail shops in the West that are usually Chinese owned. Karaoke and massage places are but adult only - underage gets a guaranteed jail sentence for the owner these days.
Gyna ago
How do you know this? Do you have any sources you can point us to so this can be verified? It's very interesting.
carmencita ago
Thanks, but I am shocked that the nail salons are nothing but, since Thailand is so well known for trafficking and a pedo magnate. I still find it odd that this guy took them to do that. The boys may have a devil may care attitude, but they are kids. He is an adult and should have more sense. After they were rescued they were invited by monks to stay there with them to decompress. We know that some of them have been charged with abuse. This whole thing still stinks.
Narcissism ago
I have lived in Thailand for more than two decades and am about 4 hours away from the caves.. None of the boys or coach have been charged with abuse or anything. Its a genuine story that cost the Thai tax payer millions of dollars. Once the Thais found out that they were Tai Lue and not Thai people there were some complaints on social media about wasting money on "these people".
As I mentioned before the border is porous, in some areas you can get out of the car and literally take a step off the road and you're in Burma (Myanmar) no fence, no line nothing. So if someone was going to move people around they wouldn't do it through those caves. The ethnic armies that control areas around the border also won't let under age girls pass through the unofficial border road crossings. I know thats the case for the Shan army SSA. Thailand won't allow children to pass through the official borders either without an accompanying parent/ guardian.
carmencita ago
Sounds like there is not much chance for trafficking. How in the world then is Thailand such a magnate for trafficking and pedophiles. Either way I think Musk has something in his back pocket. He's not that dumb to make such accusations without some knowledge of Unsworth's past. We shall see.