3 weeks ago
Last Updated:October 31, 2024, 07:17 IST
Elon Musk faces court in Philadelphia over a lawsuit challenging his PAC's $1M giveaway to voters
Elon Musk, who supports Republican presidential nominee former U.S. President Donald Trump, gestures as he speaks about voting during an America PAC Town Hall in Folsom, Pennsylvania, U.S., October 17. (Reuters)
Billionaire Elon Musk was ordered by a US judge to attend a court hearing in Philadelphia on Thursday in a case seeking to stop a political action committee controlled by the Tesla CEO from awarding $1 million to registered voters in battleground states ahead of the presidential election.
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office filed the lawsuit on Monday. It called the giveaway by Musk’s America PAC, which backs Donald Trump, an “illegal lottery” that enticed Pennsylvania residents to share personal data.
$1 million each day
“It is further ordered that all parties must be present at the time of the hearing,” a judge wrote on Wednesday in an order with the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas. A representative for America PAC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Musk promised to give $1 million each day to someone who signed his online free-speech and gun-rights petition. Legal experts consulted by Reuters last week were divided on whether the giveaway violates federal laws that make it a crime to pay or offer to pay a person to register to vote. The hearing in the case was moved up to Thursday morning from Friday.
US Justice Department
Earlier this month, US media had reported that Musk’s America PAC was warned by the US Justice Department that its $1 million daily giveaways to registered voters may violate federal law. CNN and 24sight News said the letter from the Justice Department to Musk’s political action commitee warns that the $1 million sweepstakes may violate federal law, which prohibits paying people to register to vote.
The winners of the contest are chosen at random but they must be registered voters. They are also required to sign a petition that supports “free speech and the right to bear arms.” Danielle Lang, a professor at Georgetown Law School who specializes in election law, told AFP earlier this week that the contest could be “subject to civil or criminal enforcement by the Department of Justice.”
“It is illegal to give out money on the condition that recipients register as voters,” Lang said.
“As the terms of this ‘contest’ to win $1 million require the recipient to be a registered voter in one of seven swing states (or to register if they have not already), the offer violates federal law,” she said. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Musk has pulled out all the stops in recent weeks to support former president Trump, including donating $75 million to a pro-Trump political action committee and appearing at campaign rallies.
(With agency inputs)
Location :Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
First Published:October 31, 2024, 07:17 IST
News world US Judge Orders Musk To Appear In Court Over $1 Million Voter Giveaway Lawsuit
