Lottery case dropped
Philadelphia DA Krasner drops his legal case against Musk and America PAC.
Kindly mark this case Discontinued and Ended as to all parties without prejudice, with all parties bearing their own costs.
The lawsuit from Larry Krasner in Philadelphia against Elon Musk and his @america super PAC has been officially dropped. pic.twitter.com/Wr7TXnHxXM
— Teddy Schleifer (@teddyschleifer) November 25, 2024
Investigation dropped
Essex Police drops its investigation into Pearson after The Crown Prosecution Service advises that no charges should be brought against her.
Senators Reed, Shaheen want Musk Russia contact probe
Reed, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a senior Democrat on the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees send a letter (link) to Attorney General Garland and Defence Department Inspector General Storch asking for a proble into Musk’s contact with Russian officials.
We write with serious concern regarding open source reporting detailing conversations between Russian officials and the CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk. On October 25, the Wall Street Journal reported that Mr. Musk had multiple, high level conversations with Russian President Vladmir Putin as early as 2022, and sustained contact with high-level Russian officials, including Putin’s deputy chief of staff, Sergei Kiriyenko.1 At the same time, Mr. Musk asserts that he holds a Top Secret level security clearance. These relationships between a well-known U.S. adversary and Mr. Musk, a beneficiary of billions of dollars in U.S. government funding, pose serious questions regarding Mr. Musk’s reliability as a government contractor and a clearance holder. We urgently call upon the U.S. government to open an investigation up to and including a determination by the senior debarment official of the Department of Defense, consistent with section 4654 of title 10 United States Code, to determine whether this behavior should force a review of Mr. Musk’s continued involvement in SpaceX’s varying contracts with the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community.
Over a series of posts Musk reacts:
I’m going to find out who’s making these accusations and nuke them. [Shaheen and Reed] are just the puppets. Who actually wrote this and made those knuckleheads sign it?
I’m going to find out who’s making these accusations and nuke them
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 16, 2024
‘Musk rigged dogecoin’ lawsuit ends
Musk adds Microsoft, Hoffman, to OpenAI lawsuit
Musk files an amendment to a lawsuit filed in a California court in August, adding Microsoft and Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn, to the complaint of operating a monopoly. OpenAI:
[Mr Musk’s refreshed complaint is] baseless. Elon’s third attempt in less than a year to reframe his claims is even more baseless and overreaching than the previous ones.
Judge rules lottery can continue. Musk lawyer: Lottery winners not random
There is no prize to be won, instead recipients must fulfill contractual obligations to serve as a spokesperson for the Pac.
A lawyer for DA Krasner’s office called those comments a “complete admission of liability”.
We just heard this guy say, my boss, my client, called this random. We promised people that they were going to participate in a random process, but it’s a process where we pre-select people.
The lawyer then the court a clip of Musk at a Trump rally on 19 October telling attendees that America PAC would “randomly” award $1m to people who sign the petition every day until the election. In the video, Musk also said “all we ask” is that the winners serve as spokespeople for the group. Krasner took the stand to offer evidence. Under questioning, he said two Pennsylvania residents had been “scammed for their information” and called the giveaway a “grift” aimed at political marketing.
Judge declines to block lottery
Judge Foglietta rules Philadelphia DA Krasner’s lawsuit to stop Musk’s America PAC’s $1 million lottery will be put on hold while a federal court decides whether to take up the case. If the federal court chooses not to rule on the matter the case will go back to the state court. As the case won’t be resolved until after the Nov 5 election, Musk can continue to give away prizes. Musk did not appear in court, but responds on X:
American Justice FTW
American Justice FTW 🙌 https://t.co/5KKNGHrOXF
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 31, 2024
Musk ordered to appear at lottery hearing
A Philadelpha judge orders the ‘illegal lottery’ case filed by the Phipadelphia DA to be moved up by a day, to Thurs Nov 31, with an order for Musk to appear in person.
It is further ordered that all parties must be present at the time of the hearing
Philadelphia DA sues America PAC lottery
Krasner sues for an immediate injunction to stop Musk’s Amercia PAC’s $1 million lottery before the presidential election. The suit also accuses Musk of violating consumer protection laws by deploying “deceptive, vague or misleading statements” that could create confusion.
America PAC and Musk must be stopped, immediately, before the upcoming Presidential Election on November 5…America PAC and Musk are lulling Philadelphia citizens… to give up their personal identifying information and make a political pledge in exchange for the chance to win $1 million. That is a lottery. And it is indisputably an unlawful lottery.
So far, nine $1m-prize winners have been announced. A court hearing has been set for Friday morning Nov 1.
Justice: Musk may have violated campaign finance law
The Justice Department sends a letter to America PAC, warning that awarding $1 million to registered voters who sign a petition might violate federal laws against paying voters. Such letters typically do not outline the department’s next steps and are intended to force the recipient to make changes to conform with the law. Musk’s defenders say the lottery is not illegal because it pays people who signed a petition — and did not specifically award people for registering to vote.
Rowling, Musk named in Khelif cyberbullying lawsuit
Kheif names Rowling, Musk in a criminal complaint filed to French authorities over alleged “acts of aggravated cyber harassment’. The lawsuit was filed against ‘X’, which under French law means that it was filed against unknown persons. as well as those named. Keif’s lawyer claims that while the lawsuit is filed in France, there are agreements with the U.S. equivalent of the French office for combating online hate speech. Kheif’s lawyer says Trump will also be included::
J. K. Rowling and Elon Musk are named in the lawsuit, among others. Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution.
Musk accused of ‘hijacking’ £5.5bn satellite deal
In a filing with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), SpaceX demands the Commission “expeditiously review and rescind” a decision to green light a £5.5 billion merger between American company Viasat and Britain’s Inmarsat. SpaceX, which had unsuccesfully tried to block the takeover, claims Viasat is causing interference with its satellites and breaching its licensing conditions in a long-running row between the two companies. It says the regulator has “improperly” failed to consider its claims the first time and that the acquisition was “contrary to the public interest” because of Viasat’s “blatant disregard” for regulations. Viasat says the FCC had already found it “qualified to obtain licences” and that its rival’s latest assault was an attempt to “hijack” the takeover. It also accuses Musk of creating the risk of orbital collisions by launching thousands of small satellites.
These are old arguments that have been tried and failed before – the FCC expressly rejected them in clearing the acquisition. And they will certainly fail again. Our focus is on integrating Inmarsat’s assets and capabilities into the Viasat family to offer the innovative new services our customers want.
DOJ sues SpaceX for hiring discrimination
The U.S. Department of Justice sues SpaceX for discriminatory hiring practices, accusing the company of discouraging asylum seekers from applying to open positions and refusing to hire those who did. The complaint says SpaceX’s “routine, widespread, and longstanding” hiring practices “harmed asylees and refugees,” alleging that its job postings wrongly stated that only U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents could apply. (Exactly which positions those were is unclear, but U.S. law protects asylees and refugees from hiring discrimination in general, regardless of their citizenship status.) After the investigation began, Musk tweeted:
US law requires at least a green card to be hired at SpaceX, as rockets are considered advanced weapons technology.
The DOJ says Musk was incorrect, however, and the tweet is being used as evidence in the suit.
San Francisco investigates non-permitted X roof sign
The city of San Francisco Departement of Building Inspection opens an investigation into X headquarters, after it receives a complain about a giant flashing X that has been installed on the roof of the building without a permit. This comes after issues with the removal of the Twitter sign on the front of the building. The complaint noted that a city inspector was denied access to the building’s roof, where the X had been installed, with the company saying that the structure was a “temporary lighted sign for an event.” City spokesperson:
A building permit is required to make sure the sign is structurally sound and installed safely. Planning review and approval is also necessary for the installation of this sign. The city is opening a complaint and initiating an investigation.
Our HQ in San Francisco tonight pic.twitter.com/VQO2NoX9Tz
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2023
Musk sues lawyers who represented Twitter against him
Arguing that the bill is too high, Musk sues the lawyers who represented Twitter (now “X Corp”) in its suit against him for trying to abandon his $44 billion takeover offer in 2022. (Filed in the Superior Court of California, the case is X Corp. v. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz [CGC-23-607461].) Hoping to get back part of the $90 million Twitter paid Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz (WLRK), X Corp alleges that the law firm tried to “fundamentally alter its fee arrangement” toward the end of its representation of Twitter in order to get an “improper bonus payment in violation of its fiduciary and ethical obligations to its client.” The complaint says that the board had been surprised about the fees and alleges that the firm was “at the center of a spending spree” by Twitter’s departing executives. It says those executives:
ran up the tab at Twitter by, among other things, facilitating the improper payment of substantial gifts to preferred law firms like Wachtell on top of the firms’ full hourly billings by designating tens of millions of dollars in handouts to the firms as ‘success’ or ‘project’ fees.
Music publishers sue Twitter for $250m, citing Musk’s lax copyright stance
The National Music Publishers’ Association sues Twitter, on behalf of firms including Sony Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management and Universal Music Publishing Group, in a US federal court in Tennessee, for more than $250m over bulk copyright infringement, citing Elon Musk’s tweets to argue that the company has deliberately stopped enforcing the rules. The suit says Twitter has not paid for a blanket licence allowing its users to upload copyrighted material, unlike TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat. in 2023, The New York Times reported that talks had stalled over the $100m price tag and fallen apart since Musk bought the site. The suit names 17000 songs as having been infringed:
Twitter’s policies demonstrate that Twitter views itself, not the law, as the arbiter of what content is permitted on the Twitter platform. Despite claiming to take down tweets in response to an infringement notice within hours or minutes, Twitter routinely waits much longer before acting, if it acts at all. There are thousands of instances where Twitter waited 30 days or more to remove or disable access to the content identified.
According to the suit, Musk said copyright “goes absurdly far beyond protecting the original creator” and “overzealous” application of copyright laws “is a plague on humanity”. The plaintiffs:
This statement and others like it exert pressure on Twitter employees, including those in its trust and safety team, on issues relating to copyright and infringement
Senators ask Musk and Yaccarino about Twitter FTC violations
Four US senators send a letter to Musk and Yaccarino asking them whether the layoffs and resignations at Twitter have hindered its ability to comply with the company’s FTC obligations. The senators are examining Twitter’s privacy practices under Musk to determine whether consumer protection laws are being flouted. The letter – signed by Elizabeth Warren (D), Ron Wyden (D), Ed Markey (D), and Mazie Hirono (D) – cites Ella Irwin’s departure as the latest source of concern about Twitter’s compliance track record. It asks whether Twitter conducted a privacy and security assessment of Twitter Blue before rolling it out (according to its 2022 consent agreement, Twitter must perform such assessments “prior to implementing any new or modified product”) as well as whether the platform has maintained a comprehensive cybersecurity program to protect user data since Musk’s takeover. It also asks whether Twitter has met various reporting requirements, including obligations to report any significant data breaches to the authorities.
[P]ersonnel changes, firsthand accounts from employees, and hasty launch of new products raise questions about whether Twitter is able to comply with its obligations under the FTC consent decree.
Mr. Musk’s behavior reveals an apparent indifference towards Twitter’s longstanding legal obligations, which did not disappear when Mr. Musk took over the company.
Regardless of his personal wealth, Mr. Musk is not exempt from the law, and neither is the company he purchased. Twitter must meet the requirements it agreed to under the 2011 and 2022 FTC agreements.
The lawmakers want Twitter to respond by June 18.
NHTSA investigates faulty Model Y steering wheels, recalls 137 vehicles
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigates Tesla, after two 2023 Model Y owners filed complaints saying that their steering wheels came off while they were driving. Both cars had low mileage, and the NHTSA says they were delivered to the owners without the retaining bolt that attaches the steering wheel to the steering column. Tesla is now voluntarily recalling 137 2022-2023 Model Y vehicles, because the fastening part of the steering wheel may not be as tight as it needs to be. The loose fasteners may separate the steering wheel from the steering column and cause the vehicle to lose steering control. Tesla will provide a free inspection and reinforcement for the recalled vehicles and the its service center will provide services to users as needed. The NHTSA has not yet ordered a recall for the Model Y vehicles, but the administration says the investigation could include about 120,000 vehicles.
Investors accuse Tesla of ‘carnival barking, market manipulation, insider trading’
Investors accuse Musk of insider trading in a class action lawsuit against Tesla, saying the company’s manipulation of Dogecoin cost them billions of dollars. They argue in a Manhattan federal court that Musk used paid online influencers, deliberately undertook ‘publicity stunts’ like his 2021 appearance on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” and more, to trade profitably at their expense through several Dogecoin wallets that he or Tesla controls. They say this included the time Musk sold about $124 million of Dogecoin after he replaced Twitter’s blue bird logo with Dogecoin’s Shiba Inu dog logo, leading to a 30% jump in Dogecoin’s price. The accusations are part of a proposed third amended complaint in the lawsuit which began in June 2022. (Tesla sought a dismissal of the second amended complaint, calling it a “fanciful work of fiction,” and said another amendment was unjustified, but US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein said he would “likely” allow the third amended complaint, as the defendants would not likely be prejudiced.) A “deliberate course of carnival barking, market manipulation and insider trading” enabled Musk to defraud investors, promote himself and his companies, the filing said.
Musk Twitter buyout suit dismissed
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco dismisses a class-action lawsuit against Musk which accused him of cheating Twitter shareholders in the course of buying the company. (Heresniak v Musk et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 22-03074)
According to the judge, the plaintiff lacked standing to sue because he challenged “wrongs associated with” Musk’s buyout, not the fairness of the buyout itself. Further, the judge says the plaintiff failed to show harm from Musk’s belated disclosure of a 9.2% Twitter stake (which the suit said let him buy more shares at lower prices before the buyout was announced) or from the late closing of the deal. The judge also finds no proof that Musk helped Dorsey and Silver Lake private equity firm managing partner Egon Durban breach their fiduciary duties by favoring their own and Musk’s interests – letting Dorsey roll his Twitter shares into an equity stake in the new company merely reduced the amount Musk paid at closing, it did not “improperly divert” money from other shareholders.