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Elon Musk wins 'pedo guy' defamation case
Dec 6, 2019
Vernon Unsworth sought $190m (£145m) in damages from the Tesla founder, arguing that the tweet damaged his reputation.
A public row broke out between the two men over the rescue of 12 boys trapped in a Thai cave in June 2018.
Mr Musk told the court this week the phrase "pedo guy" was common in South Africa, where he grew up.
Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom after the jury reached its decision, Mr Musk said: "My faith in humanity is restored."
[..]
Jurors took less than an hour to return their unanimous verdict, following a four-day trial at a federal court in Los Angeles.
Jury foreman Joshua Jones said Mr Unsworth's legal team were unable to prove their case and should have focused more on the evidence.
"I think they tried to get our emotions involved in it," he was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.
[..]
What was the row about?
Mr Unsworth, an experienced 64-year-old cave explorer, splits his time between the UK and Thailand.
During the rescue of the young football team, which captured the world's attention, Mr Unsworth helped recruit expert cave divers who were instrumental in freeing the boys safely.
Mr Musk sent Tesla engineers and a small submarine to northern Thailand to help with the rescue effort, but the vessel was never used.
Instead, he and Mr Unsworth got into a public war of words after the diver branded the offer of help a "PR stunt".
During an interview with CNN, Mr Unsworth suggested the billionaire "stick his submarine where it hurts".
Mr Musk, who now has nearly 30 million followers, responded with a series of tweets about Mr Unsworth - including the one calling him "pedo guy". It was later deleted.
What was said at court?
Testifying over two days on Tuesday and Wednesday, Mr Musk told the court he did not expect the "pedo" tweet to be taken literally.
He said that at the time he thought Mr Unsworth was "just some random creepy guy" who was "unrelated to the rescue".
Mr Musk apologised on Twitter and in court for his outburst.
[..]
Mr Wood said Mr Musk was a "billionaire bully" who had "dropped a nuclear bomb" on his client, and that the tweet had affected his career and relationships.
On Thursday, Mr Unsworth told the court that Mr Musk's tweet had left him feeling "humiliated".
[..]
Alex Spiro, Mr Musk's lawyer, argued that the "pedo guy" tweet was an offhand comment made in the course of an argument between the two men, which no-one could be expected to take seriously.
"In arguments you insult people," he said. "There is no bomb. No bomb went off."
Dec 6, 2019
Vernon Unsworth sought $190m (£145m) in damages from the Tesla founder, arguing that the tweet damaged his reputation.
A public row broke out between the two men over the rescue of 12 boys trapped in a Thai cave in June 2018.
Mr Musk told the court this week the phrase "pedo guy" was common in South Africa, where he grew up.
Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom after the jury reached its decision, Mr Musk said: "My faith in humanity is restored."
[..]
Jurors took less than an hour to return their unanimous verdict, following a four-day trial at a federal court in Los Angeles.
Jury foreman Joshua Jones said Mr Unsworth's legal team were unable to prove their case and should have focused more on the evidence.
"I think they tried to get our emotions involved in it," he was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.
[..]
What was the row about?
Mr Unsworth, an experienced 64-year-old cave explorer, splits his time between the UK and Thailand.
During the rescue of the young football team, which captured the world's attention, Mr Unsworth helped recruit expert cave divers who were instrumental in freeing the boys safely.
Mr Musk sent Tesla engineers and a small submarine to northern Thailand to help with the rescue effort, but the vessel was never used.
Instead, he and Mr Unsworth got into a public war of words after the diver branded the offer of help a "PR stunt".
During an interview with CNN, Mr Unsworth suggested the billionaire "stick his submarine where it hurts".
Mr Musk, who now has nearly 30 million followers, responded with a series of tweets about Mr Unsworth - including the one calling him "pedo guy". It was later deleted.
What was said at court?
Testifying over two days on Tuesday and Wednesday, Mr Musk told the court he did not expect the "pedo" tweet to be taken literally.
He said that at the time he thought Mr Unsworth was "just some random creepy guy" who was "unrelated to the rescue".
Mr Musk apologised on Twitter and in court for his outburst.
[..]
Mr Wood said Mr Musk was a "billionaire bully" who had "dropped a nuclear bomb" on his client, and that the tweet had affected his career and relationships.
On Thursday, Mr Unsworth told the court that Mr Musk's tweet had left him feeling "humiliated".
[..]
Alex Spiro, Mr Musk's lawyer, argued that the "pedo guy" tweet was an offhand comment made in the course of an argument between the two men, which no-one could be expected to take seriously.
"In arguments you insult people," he said. "There is no bomb. No bomb went off."