Elon Musk Is Doubling Down on the Pedo Thing

Post Reply
Captain Swing
Posts: 230
Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2010 12:12 pm
Has thanked: 13 times
Been thanked: 43 times

Elon Musk Is Doubling Down on the Pedo Thing

Post by Captain Swing »

https://jalopnik.com/elon-musk-is-doubl ... 1828662461

Less than a week after Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that no, he in fact would NOT be taking Tesla private because the funding was not quite as “secured” as he said it was, you’d hope that he’d turn a new leaf, and settle down a bit. But no. No. Not at all. He’s on Twitter asking if anyone has happened to look into his “pedophile” accusations.....

What we do care about is that Elon is once again lashing out at the poor guy who dared to have the temerity to criticize his underwater child coffin, starting when a Twitter user by the name of Drew Olanoff, going by the handle @yoda, asked where his dedication to journalistic integrity was when he was, without any forthcoming evidence or basis, accusing Thai cave rescue hero Vern Unsworth of being a pedophile:....

To which Elon retorted that his potentially horrifying allegation was supported by the fact that Elon, a billionaire with essentially unlimited financial and legal resources with which to defend himself against a guy mostly known for his cave diving, had not yet been personally sued by Unsworth:....
fountainhall

Re: Elon Musk Is Doubling Down on the Pedo Thing

Post by fountainhall »

This is an horrific disgrace. It was Unsworth who told the authorities they had to bring in the expert British cave divers and not just rely on the inexperienced Navy Seals. Had he not known them, goodness know how much more time would have been lost.
User avatar
Undaunted
Posts: 2567
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2016 8:47 am
Has thanked: 23 times
Been thanked: 368 times

Re: Elon Musk Is Doubling Down on the Pedo Thing

Post by Undaunted »

Unless the British diver is prepared to sue Musk for libel, a cloud of suspicion will remain.
"In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king"
User avatar
Gaybutton
Posts: 21458
Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:21 am
Location: Thailand
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 1305 times

Re: Elon Musk Is Doubling Down on the Pedo Thing

Post by Gaybutton »

Undaunted wrote:Unless the British diver is prepared to sue Musk for libel, a cloud of suspicion will remain.
I have my doubts whether the diver will go through with a lawsuit. I don't picture Musk settling out of court.

Between Musk's money and his attorneys, the case could stretch out for years and cost a fortune in legal fees. And there is no guarantee he would win, how much he would get (probably much more would end up in the lawyer's pockets then he would ever see), or how long it would take before he actually collects.
fountainhall

Re: Elon Musk Is Doubling Down on the Pedo Thing

Post by fountainhall »

I read in one newspaper that Unsworth has been offered financial assistance to sue Musk. But one problem surely is where to sue? I'm not sure if Musk is now an American citizen. If he is, whoever Unsworth gets as lawyers will be hugely expensive - unless they are prepared to do it on the basis purely of taking a percentage of the sum awarded.
User avatar
Gaybutton
Posts: 21458
Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:21 am
Location: Thailand
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 1305 times

Re: Elon Musk Is Doubling Down on the Pedo Thing

Post by Gaybutton »

fountainhall wrote:lawyers will be hugely expensive - unless they are prepared to do it on the basis purely of taking a percentage of the sum awarded.
Lawyers don't tend to do that unless they are sure the odds are in their favor not only to win, but win enough to make it worth their while.

I'm not a lawyer, but from where I sit I don't see that Unsworth has much of a case. If you're going to win a lawsuit and gain a substantial amount of money, then you have to prove that you were damaged by the defendant and prove to what extent you were damaged. Musk may have said outrageous and uncalled-for things, but I don't see how Unsworth was damaged other than being upset about it, certainly not enough to be awarded substantial damages. What has he lost as a result of what Musk said?
User avatar
Bob
Posts: 1046
Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:03 pm
Been thanked: 37 times

Re: Elon Musk Is Doubling Down on the Pedo Thing

Post by Bob »

Most or many libel lawsuits are not worth the effort given that they tend to re-publicize the offending words; however, Unsworth could properly sue in the USA and, in my opinion, would have no trouble in obtaining a judgment in his favor. And possibly a jury just might hit Musk with a very large damage award (which probably would be enhanced if the latest tweet by Musk was introduced into evidence). Come to think of it, forcing Musk to appear and blabbering from the stand would likely cause the jury to go ballistic.
User avatar
Undaunted
Posts: 2567
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2016 8:47 am
Has thanked: 23 times
Been thanked: 368 times

Re: Elon Musk Is Doubling Down on the Pedo Thing

Post by Undaunted »

Bob wrote:Most or many libel lawsuits are not worth the effort given that they tend to re-publicize the offending words; however, Unsworth could properly sue in the USA and, in my opinion, would have no trouble in obtaining a judgment in his favor.
I would not underestimate Musk, and he would have to give evidence supporting his remarks against Unsworth, perhaps Unsworth would not cherish that thought!
"In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king"
User avatar
Gaybutton
Posts: 21458
Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:21 am
Location: Thailand
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 1305 times

Re: Elon Musk Is Doubling Down on the Pedo Thing

Post by Gaybutton »

Bob wrote:forcing Musk to appear and blabbering from the stand would likely cause the jury to go ballistic.
Even so, if I was on the jury, before I would vote to award anything at all, it would have to be proven to me - proven - that Unsworth suffered any serious damages as a result of Musk, such as monetary loss, job loss, or something else that substantially harmed his life as a direct result of the libel.

For me, whether or not I like Musk would be irrelevant. You're not supposed to penalize a defendant because you don't like him. You're supposed to penalize a defendant if there is solid evidence that the plaintiff was harmed in some substantial way due to the actions or negligence of the defendant.

If Unsworth can prove that, good for him and I would vote to award him damages. If not, then as far as I'm concerned he would be entitled to nothing.

I, for one, will be very surprised if Unsworth pursues a lawsuit.
Jun

Re: Elon Musk Is Doubling Down on the Pedo Thing

Post by Jun »

Gaybutton wrote:I, for one, will be very surprised if Unsworth pursues a lawsuit.
Musk is likely to face lawsuits on other matters & potentially very severe consequences. For example, the recent tweet which looks like it could be an attempt to support the share price with inaccurate claims.
Post Reply