Elon Musk's America PAC 'lottery' would shut down Friday if Philadelphia DA gets his way
Business Insider3 days
Philly Suit Against Musk's Lottery Moved to Federal Court
Above: Elon Musk speaks at an America PAC town hall in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on Oct. 26, 2024. Image copyright: Samuel Corum/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
A Philadelphia judge on Thursday put on hold the city's district attorney's lawsuit attempting to shut down Elon Musk's $1M-a-day lottery. This comes after Musk's attorneys on Wednesday requested the case be moved to federal court.
After a brief hearing — which the Tesla and SpaceX CEO did not attend despite being ordered to appear by a judge — a lawyer from the district attorney's office said the city will "seek to have the matter remanded back to the state court" when the case is heard in federal court.
The Spin
Narrative A
Although Musk's petition has nothing to do with the presidential election — and, in fact, has everything to do with voicing support for the protection of Americans' constitutional rights — this case belongs in federal court. Musk is being accused of interfering with the election while nothing he's being accused of has to do with violating state consumer or nuisance law. It's a nice try by the Philly District Attorney, but he's out of his realm.
Narrative B
Musk continues to consider himself above the law, first establishing this illegal lottery, and then flouting a judge's order and skipping his hearing in this case. He should be held in contempt of court for his absence. In addition to this civil case, there could be criminal charges in Musk's future for what is obviously a ploy to buy votes for Trump.