Elon Musk is facing a proposed class action lawsuit from registered voters who participated in a sweepstakes by signing a constitutional petition, hoping to win a month’s worth of donations each day. However, the lawsuit now alleges fraud.
According to a complaint filed by Arizona resident Jacqueline McCafferty in federal court, Musk and his organization, America Pac, allegedly misled voters into signing petitions under the pretense of a random selection process, when in fact, winners were chosen by members of the pack. Musk’s lawyer admitted that the sweepstakes results were not random, with the winner being pre-selected.
During a court hearing in Pennsylvania, Musk’s attorney Chris Gober stated, “The recipient of the $1 million was not chosen by chance. We know exactly who will be announced today and tomorrow as the recipients of $1 million.” Musk also mentioned at a campaign rally that the winners would be randomly selected.
McCafferty further claimed that the defendants used Musk’s social media platform “X” to gather personal information such as names, addresses, and phone numbers for potential profit. Representatives for Musk and McCafferty did not immediately respond to the allegations in the complaint.
The lawsuit was filed after a Philadelphia judge denied a request to stop the giveaway, which was deemed an illegal lottery by District Attorney Larry Krasner. The ruling was largely symbolic, as Musk had no plans for additional funding post the U.S. presidential election.
Musk, the world’s richest man, distributed gifts to voters in seven battleground states who supported free speech and gun rights through signed petitions. The lawsuit filed on Tuesday seeks at least $5 million in damages for all petition signatories.
During his presidential campaign against Kamala Harris, Musk backed Donald Trump and donated over $100 million through America Pac.
Read more of the Guardian’s 2024 US election coverage
After newsletter promotion
Source: www.theguardian.com
