Elon Musk sued by Thai cave rescue diver two weeks after saying 'I f--king hope he sues me'


Tesla founder Elon Musk was hit by a lawsuit Monday, reports BBC, by the British cave diver who he repeatedly called a child abuser.
The diver, Vernon Unsworth, helped rescue the young Thai soccer players who were trapped in a flooded cave in July. He is suing Musk for defamation, seeking financial compensation and an injunction to keep Musk from repeating the claims.
Musk called Unsworth a "pedo" on Twitter after the diver criticized Musk for creating an unnecessary mini submarine to aid in the rescue. Unsworth said the submarine was a "PR stunt" from Musk, and Musk responded by insisting the device would be helpful and suggesting Unsworth was a predator. "We will make [a video] of the mini-sub/pod going all the way to Cave 5 no problemo," Musk wrote in a since-deleted tweet. "Sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it." The billionaire apologized, but then accused Unsworth of being a "child rapist," saying he moved to Thailand "for a child bride" and writing, "I f--king hope he sues me."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Unsworth is seeking $75,000 and additional "punitive damages" in a California suit, and he plans to file separate charges in London, reports BBC. "Musk's influence and wealth cannot convert his lies into truth or protect him from accountability for his wrongdoing in a court of law," said Lin Wood, Unsworth's attorney. In order to win a defamation case, Unsworth will need to prove that Musk's statements were false and that they caused him intentional material harm.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.
-
How did the Wagner Group recruit young British men for arson attack?
Today's Big Question Russian operatives have been using encrypted messaging apps to groom saboteurs across Europe
-
The best graphic novels
The Week Recommends These inventive illustrated books will transport you to another world
-
How a UK wealth tax could work
A levy could be on the agenda as Rachel Reeves attempts to get the nation's finances back on track
-
Disney, Universal sue AI firm over 'plagiarism'
Speed Read The studios say that Midjourney copied characters from their most famous franchises
-
Amazon launches 1st Kuiper internet satellites
Speed Read The battle of billionaires continues in space
-
Test flight of orbital rocket from Europe explodes
Speed Read Isar Aerospace conducted the first test flight of the Spectrum orbital rocket, which crashed after takeoff
-
Apple pledges $500B in US spending over 4 years
Speed Read This is a win for Trump, who has pushed to move manufacturing back to the US
-
Microsoft unveils quantum computing breakthrough
Speed Read Researchers say this advance could lead to faster and more powerful computers
-
TikTok's fate uncertain as weekend deadline looms
Speed Read The popular app is set to be banned in the U.S. starting Sunday
-
Appeals court kills FCC net neutrality rule
Speed Read A U.S. appeals court blocked Biden's effort to restore net-neutrality rules
-
Judge rejects Elon Musk's $56B pay package again
Speed Read Judge Kathaleen McCormick upheld her rejection of the Tesla CEO's unprecedented compensation deal