 "Did Elon Musk run illegal lottery for Trump campaign? Face lawsuit, rules Obama-appointed judge")
US District Judge Robert Pitman in Austin, Texas, said that Arizona resident Jacqueline McAferty accused Musk in her class action lawsuit that his political action committee, America PAC, wrongfully got her to provide personal identifying information as part of the giveaway during the 2024 presidential campaign
Elon Musk has been ordered to face a lawsuit by voters alleging that the Tesla CEO committed fraud by making them sign a petition to support the US Constitution for a chance to win his $1 million-a-day giveaway.
US District Judge Robert Pitman in Austin, Texas, said that Arizona resident Jacqueline McAferty accused Musk in her class action lawsuit that his political action committee, America PAC, wrongfully got her to provide personal identifying information as part of the giveaway during the 2024 presidential campaign.
What does the lawsuit claim?
McAferty said Musk and America PAC induced voters in seven battleground states to sign his petition by promising that $1 million recipients would be chosen randomly, as in a lottery, though the voters had no real chance to collect.
She added that voters who signed his petition were also made to provide their names, addresses, email addresses and phone numbers.
Judge Pitman said that the billionaire must face a lawsuit, highlighting that he defendants were “awarding” the $1 million, and the money could be “won.”
“It is plausible that plaintiff justifiably relied on those statements to believe that defendants were objectively offering her the chance to enter a random lottery–even if that is not what they subjectively intended to do,” Pitman wrote.
Musk rejected claims
Meanwhile, in January, Musk denied the accusations made in the lawsuit by listing “several red flags”, proving that he did not run an illegal lottery.
He said these included statements that the $1 million recipients were “selected to earn” the money and expected to become America PAC spokespeople, defeating the idea that the payment was a “prize.”
Musk claimed that voters were informed beforehand that their participation would be reviewed for an opportunity to earn the $1 million by becoming America PAC spokespeople.
“Make no mistake: an eligible voter’s opportunity to earn is not the same thing as a chance to win,” Musk said at the time.
With inputs from Reuters
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