Thai cave rescue
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Australian medic, last to leave Thai cave, loses dad shortly after
Associated Press
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Published:
July 11, 2018
Updated:
July 11, 2018 7:34 AM EDT
Police man guard a junction for an ambulance believed to be carrying one of the rescued boys from the flooded cave, in the Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand, Monday, July 9, 2018.Vincent Thian / AP
The last member of the rescue team to leave the Thai cave, Australian doctor Richard Harris, has lost his father.
Harris’s boss Andrew Peace says in a statement the father had died shortly after the last of the 13 soccer team members was freed from the cave.
Peace says: “This is clearly a time of grief for the Harris family, magnified by the physical and emotional demands of being part of this week’s highly complex and ultimately successful rescue operation.”
Pearce says the anesthetist and experienced cave diver would return to his home in Adelaide city soon. Harris played a part in deciding the order in which the 13 were freed.
Pearce did not say how the father had died and asked for the family’s privacy to be respected.
http://torontosun.com/news/world/australian-medic-last-to-leave-thai-cave-loses-dad-shortly-after
Associated Press
More from Associated Press
Published:
July 11, 2018
Updated:
July 11, 2018 7:34 AM EDT
Police man guard a junction for an ambulance believed to be carrying one of the rescued boys from the flooded cave, in the Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand, Monday, July 9, 2018.Vincent Thian / AP
The last member of the rescue team to leave the Thai cave, Australian doctor Richard Harris, has lost his father.
Harris’s boss Andrew Peace says in a statement the father had died shortly after the last of the 13 soccer team members was freed from the cave.
Peace says: “This is clearly a time of grief for the Harris family, magnified by the physical and emotional demands of being part of this week’s highly complex and ultimately successful rescue operation.”
Pearce says the anesthetist and experienced cave diver would return to his home in Adelaide city soon. Harris played a part in deciding the order in which the 13 were freed.
Pearce did not say how the father had died and asked for the family’s privacy to be respected.
http://torontosun.com/news/world/australian-medic-last-to-leave-thai-cave-loses-dad-shortly-after
Thai cave rescue to be made into 'inspirational' film
American Media Inc.
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Published:
July 11, 2018
Updated:
July 11, 2018 1:48 PM EDT
Chiang Rai Governor Narongsak Osotthanakorn (C) and mission team celebrate after a press conference at a makeshift press centre in Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai province on July 11, 2018. (Ye Aung Thu/Getty Images)
One day after the 12 Thai boys and their coach were rescued from a flooded cave, it’s been revealed the miraculous incident will be made into an “inspirational” film!
Michael Scott, the CEO and co-founder of Pure Flix, lives in Thailand and has been at the scene for several days, taking notes for the upcoming movie.
“The bravery and heroism I’ve witnessed is incredibly inspiring, so, yes, this will be a movie for us,” Scott told The Hollywood Reporter.
As RadarOnline.com readers know, the 12 Thai soccer teens were exploring a remote cave with their 25-year-old coach on June 23 when suddenly heavy rains began to fall, trapping them inside. Family members quickly alerted authorities of their disappearance after they didn’t return home in a few days. Volunteer divers then found them inside the cave and launched a rescue mission which lasted about two weeks and included divers, engineers, police officers, etc.
The boys are now safe in the hospital, receiving treatment after living through such harsh conditions.
Scott told THR that he’s already spoken to several of the 90 volunteer divers, as well as various of the boys’ family members.
“This isn’t just about a movie, it’s about honoring everybody involved, including the soldier who died,” he added, explaining that Sgt. Saman Kunan, the volunteer diver that died in the mission was actually his wife’s friend.
“This was truly a team effort involving Brits, Aussies, Americans and Thais, and the divers told us incredibly stories,” Scott said. “They had less than five meters’ visibility, fought harsh currents and used a buddy system of two divers for each boy rescued. It was a monumental effort.”
The film will be made by the save production team that released God’s Not Dead and Little Women. It will carry a budget of $30 million to $60 million and will be filmed in Thailand.
http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2018/07/thai-cave-rescue-made-into-film
http://torontosun.com/entertainment/movies/thai-cave-rescue-to-be-made-into-inspirational-film
American Media Inc.
More from American Media Inc.
Published:
July 11, 2018
Updated:
July 11, 2018 1:48 PM EDT
Chiang Rai Governor Narongsak Osotthanakorn (C) and mission team celebrate after a press conference at a makeshift press centre in Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai province on July 11, 2018. (Ye Aung Thu/Getty Images)
One day after the 12 Thai boys and their coach were rescued from a flooded cave, it’s been revealed the miraculous incident will be made into an “inspirational” film!
Michael Scott, the CEO and co-founder of Pure Flix, lives in Thailand and has been at the scene for several days, taking notes for the upcoming movie.
“The bravery and heroism I’ve witnessed is incredibly inspiring, so, yes, this will be a movie for us,” Scott told The Hollywood Reporter.
As RadarOnline.com readers know, the 12 Thai soccer teens were exploring a remote cave with their 25-year-old coach on June 23 when suddenly heavy rains began to fall, trapping them inside. Family members quickly alerted authorities of their disappearance after they didn’t return home in a few days. Volunteer divers then found them inside the cave and launched a rescue mission which lasted about two weeks and included divers, engineers, police officers, etc.
The boys are now safe in the hospital, receiving treatment after living through such harsh conditions.
Scott told THR that he’s already spoken to several of the 90 volunteer divers, as well as various of the boys’ family members.
“This isn’t just about a movie, it’s about honoring everybody involved, including the soldier who died,” he added, explaining that Sgt. Saman Kunan, the volunteer diver that died in the mission was actually his wife’s friend.
“This was truly a team effort involving Brits, Aussies, Americans and Thais, and the divers told us incredibly stories,” Scott said. “They had less than five meters’ visibility, fought harsh currents and used a buddy system of two divers for each boy rescued. It was a monumental effort.”
The film will be made by the save production team that released God’s Not Dead and Little Women. It will carry a budget of $30 million to $60 million and will be filmed in Thailand.
http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2018/07/thai-cave-rescue-made-into-film
http://torontosun.com/entertainment/movies/thai-cave-rescue-to-be-made-into-inspirational-film
Elon Musk’s 'pedo' tweet about Thai cave rescuer and other flame wars may make Tesla investors wary
Associated Press
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Published:
July 17, 2018
Updated:
July 17, 2018 9:00 AM EDT
In a Thursday, June 14, 2018 file photo, Tesla CEO and founder of the Boring Company Elon Musk speaks at a news conference, in Chicago. Kiichiro Sato / AP
Whether it’s investors betting against his stock or reporters or analysts who ask tough questions, Elon Musk has fought back, often around the clock on Twitter.
In the past few months, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO has become a bigger, more snarling presence on social media. But when Musk called a British diver involved in the Thailand cave rescue a pedophile in front of 22.2 million Twitter followers Sunday, he may have gone one tweet too far.
The tweet, later deleted, sent investors away from Tesla stock and could expose the temperamental rocket scientist to a libel suit. In the tweets, Musk strayed from a vigorous defence of his companies into personal insult, with no facts to back it up.
“This has nothing to do with defending Tesla,” said Erik Gordon, a business and law professor at the University of Michigan. “This goes over a line where he can’t claim ‘Well, my big sin is that I go too far in defending the company.”‘
In a TV interview, British diver Vern Unsworth criticized Musk and SpaceX engineers for sending a small submarine to help divers rescue the 12 Thai soccer players and their coach from a flooded cave. The submarine was not used. Unsworth called it a “PR stunt” and said it wouldn’t have worked anyway.
Musk responded with a tweet branding Unsworth a “pedo.” In a second tweet, Musk said he bet the claim was true. Unsworth told CNN he is considering legal action.
A Tesla spokeswoman wouldn’t comment on the tweets.
For the first four months of the year, Musk was averaging around 100 tweets per month. But the tweets spiked to about 400 per month starting in May as Musk was under pressure to raise production of the Model 3 lower-priced electric car, which starts at US$35,000.
As the spike occurred, Musk gained thousands of Twitter followers. He has almost half as many as U.S. President Donald Trump, who likewise attacks his critics with relish on Twitter.
Mark Spiegel, an outspoken hedge fund manager who has been betting on Tesla’s stock falling for years, said the tweets are showing Musk’s fans his true personality.
The company, which has had only two profitable quarters, is deep in debt and will have trouble meeting Musk’s prediction of a profit in the second half of this year, Spiegel said.
“It’s all based around this rabid Elon Musk fan base. Once that fan base starts to see what kind of person they’ve been worshipping, they will turn on you on a dime,” he said.
Spiegel likened Musk to Trump, saying the two men have an “amazing amount of personality defects in common.”
Previous comparisons with Trump have angered Musk. This spring, critic Andrew J. Hawkins tweeted that Musk was transforming into a “media-baiting Trump figure screaming irrationally about fake news.”
Musk responded by lashing out at the media for the Trump comparisons, writing: “Why do you think he got elected in the first place? Because no one believes you any more.”
In his defence, Musk posted on Twitter that leaders of the Thai rescue, in which all the boys and their coach were safely extracted, had asked him to build the mini-sub.
Tesla stock fell nearly 3% Monday to $310.10 even though the broader market was up slightly.
Robert Drechsel, who taught media law at the University of Wisconsin, said if he were Tesla’s attorney, he would advise the CEO to stop tweeting.
“You can’t be doing yourself any favour minimally by creating this kind of a distraction, and at worst raising questions about your credibility,” he said. “I’m certain they wish he would be a more cautious tweeter.”
Big investors are in a difficult spot with Tesla, much as they were with Uber and ousted CEO Travis Kalanick, Gordon said. Like Uber, Tesla and SpaceX were built on their founder’s larger-than-life personality. Tesla is worth more than $52 billion, largely on the promise of Musk’s genius.
Until recently, Twitter and Musk’s personality worked well for Tesla. The company said in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it doesn’t need to advertise because it gets so much free media attention.
But Musk’s “pedo” comment and his Twitter skirmishes with analysts, reporters and others will make investors wary, Gordon said.
“It’s very dangerous if you just blurt things out,” he said.
http://torontosun.com/news/world/el...ther-flame-wars-may-make-tesla-investors-wary
http://abc.go.com/shows/2020/episode-guide/2018-07/10-071018-triumph-in-thailand
Associated Press
More from Associated Press
Published:
July 17, 2018
Updated:
July 17, 2018 9:00 AM EDT
In a Thursday, June 14, 2018 file photo, Tesla CEO and founder of the Boring Company Elon Musk speaks at a news conference, in Chicago. Kiichiro Sato / AP
Whether it’s investors betting against his stock or reporters or analysts who ask tough questions, Elon Musk has fought back, often around the clock on Twitter.
In the past few months, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO has become a bigger, more snarling presence on social media. But when Musk called a British diver involved in the Thailand cave rescue a pedophile in front of 22.2 million Twitter followers Sunday, he may have gone one tweet too far.
The tweet, later deleted, sent investors away from Tesla stock and could expose the temperamental rocket scientist to a libel suit. In the tweets, Musk strayed from a vigorous defence of his companies into personal insult, with no facts to back it up.
“This has nothing to do with defending Tesla,” said Erik Gordon, a business and law professor at the University of Michigan. “This goes over a line where he can’t claim ‘Well, my big sin is that I go too far in defending the company.”‘
In a TV interview, British diver Vern Unsworth criticized Musk and SpaceX engineers for sending a small submarine to help divers rescue the 12 Thai soccer players and their coach from a flooded cave. The submarine was not used. Unsworth called it a “PR stunt” and said it wouldn’t have worked anyway.
Musk responded with a tweet branding Unsworth a “pedo.” In a second tweet, Musk said he bet the claim was true. Unsworth told CNN he is considering legal action.
A Tesla spokeswoman wouldn’t comment on the tweets.
For the first four months of the year, Musk was averaging around 100 tweets per month. But the tweets spiked to about 400 per month starting in May as Musk was under pressure to raise production of the Model 3 lower-priced electric car, which starts at US$35,000.
As the spike occurred, Musk gained thousands of Twitter followers. He has almost half as many as U.S. President Donald Trump, who likewise attacks his critics with relish on Twitter.
Mark Spiegel, an outspoken hedge fund manager who has been betting on Tesla’s stock falling for years, said the tweets are showing Musk’s fans his true personality.
The company, which has had only two profitable quarters, is deep in debt and will have trouble meeting Musk’s prediction of a profit in the second half of this year, Spiegel said.
“It’s all based around this rabid Elon Musk fan base. Once that fan base starts to see what kind of person they’ve been worshipping, they will turn on you on a dime,” he said.
Spiegel likened Musk to Trump, saying the two men have an “amazing amount of personality defects in common.”
Previous comparisons with Trump have angered Musk. This spring, critic Andrew J. Hawkins tweeted that Musk was transforming into a “media-baiting Trump figure screaming irrationally about fake news.”
Musk responded by lashing out at the media for the Trump comparisons, writing: “Why do you think he got elected in the first place? Because no one believes you any more.”
In his defence, Musk posted on Twitter that leaders of the Thai rescue, in which all the boys and their coach were safely extracted, had asked him to build the mini-sub.
Tesla stock fell nearly 3% Monday to $310.10 even though the broader market was up slightly.
Robert Drechsel, who taught media law at the University of Wisconsin, said if he were Tesla’s attorney, he would advise the CEO to stop tweeting.
“You can’t be doing yourself any favour minimally by creating this kind of a distraction, and at worst raising questions about your credibility,” he said. “I’m certain they wish he would be a more cautious tweeter.”
Big investors are in a difficult spot with Tesla, much as they were with Uber and ousted CEO Travis Kalanick, Gordon said. Like Uber, Tesla and SpaceX were built on their founder’s larger-than-life personality. Tesla is worth more than $52 billion, largely on the promise of Musk’s genius.
Until recently, Twitter and Musk’s personality worked well for Tesla. The company said in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it doesn’t need to advertise because it gets so much free media attention.
But Musk’s “pedo” comment and his Twitter skirmishes with analysts, reporters and others will make investors wary, Gordon said.
“It’s very dangerous if you just blurt things out,” he said.
http://torontosun.com/news/world/el...ther-flame-wars-may-make-tesla-investors-wary
http://abc.go.com/shows/2020/episode-guide/2018-07/10-071018-triumph-in-thailand
Elon Musk says 'pedo guy' tweet did not suggest British cave diver was a pedophile
Reuters
Published:
September 16, 2019
Updated:
September 16, 2019 6:40 PM EDT
Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks during the unveiling of the new Tesla Model Y in Hawthorne, California on March 14, 2019. Getty Images
Elon Musk on Monday said he did not intend to accuse a British diver of pedophilia by branding him a “pedo guy” on Twitter, as the Tesla Inc chief executive sought to dismiss a defamation lawsuit.
Musk posted the tweet, for which he later apologized, after Vernon Unsworth accused Musk in a CNN interview of grandstanding by offering to help Unsworth’s diving team rescue 12 boys and their soccer coach from a Thailand cave in July 2018.
Unsworth sued two months later in Los Angeles federal court, saying Musk falsely branded him a pedophile and child rapist, and denying those allegations.
L. Lin Wood, a lawyer for Unsworth, in an interview called his client “a good man whose efforts saved the lives of 13 people,” and said he will reply to Musk’s court filing discussing the tweet in three weeks.
“I’ll keep my powder dry for now, but I can assure you it will be explosive,” he said. He called Musk’s motion “as offensive to the truth as was his original tweet.”
Musk, 48, said “pedo guy” was “a common insult used in South Africa when I was growing up.”
He said the expression was “synonymous with ‘creepy old man’” and used to insult a person’s appearance and demeanor.
“I did not intend to accuse Mr. Unsworth of engaging in acts of pedophilia,” said Musk, who grew up in Pretoria. “In response to his insults in the CNN interview, I meant to insult him back by expressing my opinion that he seemed like a creepy old man.”
Musk also said his “off the record” August 2018 email to a BuzzFeed News reporter to “stop defending child rapists” was based on an aide’s summary of a private investigator’s report on Unsworth, and that he did not then know the statement was false.
Unsworth has said he had shared a house in the Thailand countryside with a 40-year-old woman who owned a nail salon.
The dispute arose after Unsworth told CNN that a mini-submarine offered for the rescue from the Tham Luang Nang Non cave by Musk’s company SpaceX was a “PR stunt” and Musk could “stick his submarine where it hurts.”
In a related court filing, Musk’s lawyers called Unsworth a public figure on matters related to the cave rescue.
They said this required Unsworth to show by clear and convincing evidence that Musk made his statements toward him with “actual malice,” a high standard.
Unsworth is seeking compensatory and punitive damages. A trial is scheduled for Dec. 2.
Musk recently settled a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit over his Twitter use.
The case is Unsworth v Musk, U.S. District Court, Central District of California, No. 18-08048.
http://torontosun.com/news/world/el...ot-suggest-british-cave-diver-was-a-pedophile
Reuters
Published:
September 16, 2019
Updated:
September 16, 2019 6:40 PM EDT
Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks during the unveiling of the new Tesla Model Y in Hawthorne, California on March 14, 2019. Getty Images
Elon Musk on Monday said he did not intend to accuse a British diver of pedophilia by branding him a “pedo guy” on Twitter, as the Tesla Inc chief executive sought to dismiss a defamation lawsuit.
Musk posted the tweet, for which he later apologized, after Vernon Unsworth accused Musk in a CNN interview of grandstanding by offering to help Unsworth’s diving team rescue 12 boys and their soccer coach from a Thailand cave in July 2018.
Unsworth sued two months later in Los Angeles federal court, saying Musk falsely branded him a pedophile and child rapist, and denying those allegations.
L. Lin Wood, a lawyer for Unsworth, in an interview called his client “a good man whose efforts saved the lives of 13 people,” and said he will reply to Musk’s court filing discussing the tweet in three weeks.
“I’ll keep my powder dry for now, but I can assure you it will be explosive,” he said. He called Musk’s motion “as offensive to the truth as was his original tweet.”
Musk, 48, said “pedo guy” was “a common insult used in South Africa when I was growing up.”
He said the expression was “synonymous with ‘creepy old man’” and used to insult a person’s appearance and demeanor.
“I did not intend to accuse Mr. Unsworth of engaging in acts of pedophilia,” said Musk, who grew up in Pretoria. “In response to his insults in the CNN interview, I meant to insult him back by expressing my opinion that he seemed like a creepy old man.”
Musk also said his “off the record” August 2018 email to a BuzzFeed News reporter to “stop defending child rapists” was based on an aide’s summary of a private investigator’s report on Unsworth, and that he did not then know the statement was false.
Unsworth has said he had shared a house in the Thailand countryside with a 40-year-old woman who owned a nail salon.
The dispute arose after Unsworth told CNN that a mini-submarine offered for the rescue from the Tham Luang Nang Non cave by Musk’s company SpaceX was a “PR stunt” and Musk could “stick his submarine where it hurts.”
In a related court filing, Musk’s lawyers called Unsworth a public figure on matters related to the cave rescue.
They said this required Unsworth to show by clear and convincing evidence that Musk made his statements toward him with “actual malice,” a high standard.
Unsworth is seeking compensatory and punitive damages. A trial is scheduled for Dec. 2.
Musk recently settled a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit over his Twitter use.
The case is Unsworth v Musk, U.S. District Court, Central District of California, No. 18-08048.
http://torontosun.com/news/world/el...ot-suggest-british-cave-diver-was-a-pedophile
Elon Musk's defamation trial over 'pedo guy' tweet is narrowed
Reuters
Published:
November 29, 2019
Updated:
November 29, 2019 2:24 PM EST
SpaceX, Tesla and The Boring Company founder Elon Musk attends the 2018 SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition, in Hawthorne, Calif., on July 22, 2018.ROBYN BECK / AFP/Getty Images
The British cave explorer who sued Tesla Inc’s Elon Musk for branding him “pedo guy” in a tweet has narrowed his defamation case against the electric car maker’s chief executive, and is no longer seeking damages for an emailed suggestion he might be a child rapist.
Vernon Unsworth, who has denied the allegations, chose to pursue liability and damages claims at a scheduled Dec. 3 negligence trial only for Musk’s tweets allegedly calling him a pedophile, U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson said in a Wednesday order.
The judge also decided not to split up the trial to assess liability and punitive damages separately because evidence of Musk’s “state of mind” would be similar on both issues, and Musk refused to concede he did not use reasonable care in criticizing Unsworth.
Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Musk, declined to comment on Friday. Unsworth’s lawyer, L. Lin Wood, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Wilson issued his order after hearings this week in Los Angeles. Musk is expected to testify at trial.
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The case arose after Unsworth and his diving team gained international renown in July 2018 by rescuing 12 boys and their soccer coach from a Thailand cave.
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Unsworth criticized Musk’s offering a mini-submarine from his SpaceX rocket company to help with the rescue, telling CNN it was a “PR stunt” and that Musk could “stick his submarine where it hurts.”
But he said that did not justify Musk’s July 15, 2018 tweets that he “never saw this British expat guy,” followed by “Sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it” and, in an alleged clarification, “Bet ya a signed dollar it’s true.”
Wilson said Unsworth chose not to pursue damages claims over later emails by Musk to BuzzFeed News, including that a reporter “stop defending child rapists.”
The judge said Unsworth can use those emails to show Musk’s state of mind behind the July 15 tweets. Musk has apologized for the “pedo guy” comment.
To win, Unsworth must show the tweets were false, Musk did not use reasonable care to determine their truth, and people reasonably understood them to mean Unsworth was a pedophile.
Wilson said he will admit evidence suggesting that Musk might have leaked damaging information about Unsworth to the press, and Unsworth might have sued to capitalize on his fame.
Evidence of Musk’s $20 million civil settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in 2018 after he tweeted that Tesla had “funding secured” to go private was excluded because it might confuse jurors.
http://torontosun.com/news/world/elon-musks-defamation-trial-over-pedo-guy-tweet-is-narrowed
Reuters
Published:
November 29, 2019
Updated:
November 29, 2019 2:24 PM EST
SpaceX, Tesla and The Boring Company founder Elon Musk attends the 2018 SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition, in Hawthorne, Calif., on July 22, 2018.ROBYN BECK / AFP/Getty Images
The British cave explorer who sued Tesla Inc’s Elon Musk for branding him “pedo guy” in a tweet has narrowed his defamation case against the electric car maker’s chief executive, and is no longer seeking damages for an emailed suggestion he might be a child rapist.
Vernon Unsworth, who has denied the allegations, chose to pursue liability and damages claims at a scheduled Dec. 3 negligence trial only for Musk’s tweets allegedly calling him a pedophile, U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson said in a Wednesday order.
The judge also decided not to split up the trial to assess liability and punitive damages separately because evidence of Musk’s “state of mind” would be similar on both issues, and Musk refused to concede he did not use reasonable care in criticizing Unsworth.
Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Musk, declined to comment on Friday. Unsworth’s lawyer, L. Lin Wood, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Wilson issued his order after hearings this week in Los Angeles. Musk is expected to testify at trial.
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The case arose after Unsworth and his diving team gained international renown in July 2018 by rescuing 12 boys and their soccer coach from a Thailand cave.
Elon Musk: About 150,000 orders thus far for Tesla Cybertruck
Tesla's Cybertruck launch takes hit as 'shatterproof' windows crack
Unsworth criticized Musk’s offering a mini-submarine from his SpaceX rocket company to help with the rescue, telling CNN it was a “PR stunt” and that Musk could “stick his submarine where it hurts.”
But he said that did not justify Musk’s July 15, 2018 tweets that he “never saw this British expat guy,” followed by “Sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it” and, in an alleged clarification, “Bet ya a signed dollar it’s true.”
Wilson said Unsworth chose not to pursue damages claims over later emails by Musk to BuzzFeed News, including that a reporter “stop defending child rapists.”
The judge said Unsworth can use those emails to show Musk’s state of mind behind the July 15 tweets. Musk has apologized for the “pedo guy” comment.
To win, Unsworth must show the tweets were false, Musk did not use reasonable care to determine their truth, and people reasonably understood them to mean Unsworth was a pedophile.
Wilson said he will admit evidence suggesting that Musk might have leaked damaging information about Unsworth to the press, and Unsworth might have sued to capitalize on his fame.
Evidence of Musk’s $20 million civil settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in 2018 after he tweeted that Tesla had “funding secured” to go private was excluded because it might confuse jurors.
http://torontosun.com/news/world/elon-musks-defamation-trial-over-pedo-guy-tweet-is-narrowed
Elon Musk testifies his 'pedo guy' tweet not meant to be taken literally
Reuters
Published:
December 3, 2019
Updated:
December 3, 2019 7:45 PM EST
SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk arrives on the red carpet for the automobile awards "Das Goldene Lenkrad" (The golden steering wheel) given by a German newspaper in Berlin, Germany, November 12, 2019. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke/File Photo ORG XMIT: FW1Hannibal Hanschke / REUTERS
LOS ANGELES — High-tech entrepreneur Elon Musk testified at his defamation trial on Tuesday that his “pedo guy” Twitter message at the center of the case was not meant to be taken literally and was sent in response to an “unprovoked” insult he received from the man now suing him.
Musk, the billionaire chief executive of electric carmaker Tesla Inc, was the first witness called to the stand in the lawsuit brought against him by a British cave diver who gained fame for his lead role in the rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave in Thailand last year.
The diver, Vernon Unsworth, says Musk, also founder of the rocket company SpaceX, falsely labeled him a pedophile on Twitter and should pay punitive and other damages.
The case stems from an offer Musk made to furnish a mini-submarine from SpaceX to assist in the Tham Luang Nang Non cave rescue in July 2018.
Elon Musk's defamation trial over 'pedo guy' tweet is narrowed
Elon Musk says 'pedo guy' tweet did not suggest British cave diver was a pedophile
Attorney: Elon Musk's 'pedo' tweets didn’t hurt Thai cave rescue diver
Elon Musk apologizes for calling Thai cave rescuer a 'pedo'
Unsworth told CNN on July 13, 2018, three days after the rescue was successfully completed, that Musk’s offer was a “PR stunt” and that Musk should “stick his submarine where it hurts.”
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Two days later, Musk lashed out at Unsworth in a series of tweets, including one which called the cave diver a “pedo guy.” Musk later apologized for the comment, saying the term was a common insult in South Africa where he grew up.
Unsworth called the slur a lie that has harmed his reputation.
Musk was called to testify by plaintiff’s lawyers after a jury was selected to hear the case and the two sides delivered opening statements.
Musk said he was merely responding in kind to Unsworth’s remarks, a video of which Musk said he watched on Twitter. Those comments were “an unprovoked attack on what was a good-natured attempt to help the kids,” Musk testified. “It was wrong and insulting, and so I insulted him back.”
“I thought he (Unsworth) was just some random creepy guy,” Musk added. “I thought at the time that he was unrelated to the rescue.”
Pressed under questioning by lawyer Lin Wood, Musk testified that he did not mean for his tweet about Unsworth to be taken literally.
“I assume he did not mean to sodomize me with a submarine … Just as I didn’t literally mean he was a pedophile,” he said.
U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson has explained the case hinges on whether a reasonable person would take Musk’s Twitter statement to mean that he was calling Unsworth a pedophile.
To win the defamation case, Unsworth needs to show that Musk was negligent in publishing a falsehood that clearly identified the plaintiff and caused him harm. “Actual malice” on Musk’s part does not need to be proven because the judge has deemed Unsworth a private individual rather than a public figure.
MUSK’S TWITTER FOLLOWERS
Although the case does not involve Tesla, Musk’s Twitter habits have long been under close scrutiny, with investors and regulators expressing concerns about his tweets.
With 29.8 million followers, Musk’s Twitter account is a major source of publicity for his Palo Alto, California-based electric car company, which does not advertise.
Wood, representing Unsworth, tried to establish that Musk knew he had a high degree of influence with his Twitter followers and the public, and that the veracity of what he said thus carried significant weight.
“People say a lot of things on Twitter that aren’t true,” Musk said.
In an opening statement earlier in the day, lawyer Taylor Wilson, another member of Unsworth’s legal team, said the tweet in question was more than a slip-up, and Musk had no business branding Unsworth a predator “in what should have been one of the proudest moments of his life.”
Musk lawyer Alex Spiro countered that Unsworth did not act after the tweet like a man who suffered because of it.
“The plaintiff is saying he has been horribly damaged, and deserves money,” Spiro said. “He doesn’t.”
http://torontosun.com/news/world/elon-musk-goes-on-trial-for-defamation-over-pedo-guy-tweet
Reuters
Published:
December 3, 2019
Updated:
December 3, 2019 7:45 PM EST
SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk arrives on the red carpet for the automobile awards "Das Goldene Lenkrad" (The golden steering wheel) given by a German newspaper in Berlin, Germany, November 12, 2019. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke/File Photo ORG XMIT: FW1Hannibal Hanschke / REUTERS
LOS ANGELES — High-tech entrepreneur Elon Musk testified at his defamation trial on Tuesday that his “pedo guy” Twitter message at the center of the case was not meant to be taken literally and was sent in response to an “unprovoked” insult he received from the man now suing him.
Musk, the billionaire chief executive of electric carmaker Tesla Inc, was the first witness called to the stand in the lawsuit brought against him by a British cave diver who gained fame for his lead role in the rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave in Thailand last year.
The diver, Vernon Unsworth, says Musk, also founder of the rocket company SpaceX, falsely labeled him a pedophile on Twitter and should pay punitive and other damages.
The case stems from an offer Musk made to furnish a mini-submarine from SpaceX to assist in the Tham Luang Nang Non cave rescue in July 2018.
Elon Musk's defamation trial over 'pedo guy' tweet is narrowed
Elon Musk says 'pedo guy' tweet did not suggest British cave diver was a pedophile
Attorney: Elon Musk's 'pedo' tweets didn’t hurt Thai cave rescue diver
Elon Musk apologizes for calling Thai cave rescuer a 'pedo'
Unsworth told CNN on July 13, 2018, three days after the rescue was successfully completed, that Musk’s offer was a “PR stunt” and that Musk should “stick his submarine where it hurts.”
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Two days later, Musk lashed out at Unsworth in a series of tweets, including one which called the cave diver a “pedo guy.” Musk later apologized for the comment, saying the term was a common insult in South Africa where he grew up.
Unsworth called the slur a lie that has harmed his reputation.
Musk was called to testify by plaintiff’s lawyers after a jury was selected to hear the case and the two sides delivered opening statements.
Musk said he was merely responding in kind to Unsworth’s remarks, a video of which Musk said he watched on Twitter. Those comments were “an unprovoked attack on what was a good-natured attempt to help the kids,” Musk testified. “It was wrong and insulting, and so I insulted him back.”
“I thought he (Unsworth) was just some random creepy guy,” Musk added. “I thought at the time that he was unrelated to the rescue.”
Pressed under questioning by lawyer Lin Wood, Musk testified that he did not mean for his tweet about Unsworth to be taken literally.
“I assume he did not mean to sodomize me with a submarine … Just as I didn’t literally mean he was a pedophile,” he said.
U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson has explained the case hinges on whether a reasonable person would take Musk’s Twitter statement to mean that he was calling Unsworth a pedophile.
To win the defamation case, Unsworth needs to show that Musk was negligent in publishing a falsehood that clearly identified the plaintiff and caused him harm. “Actual malice” on Musk’s part does not need to be proven because the judge has deemed Unsworth a private individual rather than a public figure.
MUSK’S TWITTER FOLLOWERS
Although the case does not involve Tesla, Musk’s Twitter habits have long been under close scrutiny, with investors and regulators expressing concerns about his tweets.
With 29.8 million followers, Musk’s Twitter account is a major source of publicity for his Palo Alto, California-based electric car company, which does not advertise.
Wood, representing Unsworth, tried to establish that Musk knew he had a high degree of influence with his Twitter followers and the public, and that the veracity of what he said thus carried significant weight.
“People say a lot of things on Twitter that aren’t true,” Musk said.
In an opening statement earlier in the day, lawyer Taylor Wilson, another member of Unsworth’s legal team, said the tweet in question was more than a slip-up, and Musk had no business branding Unsworth a predator “in what should have been one of the proudest moments of his life.”
Musk lawyer Alex Spiro countered that Unsworth did not act after the tweet like a man who suffered because of it.
“The plaintiff is saying he has been horribly damaged, and deserves money,” Spiro said. “He doesn’t.”
British cave explorer felt 'branded a pedophile' by Elon Musk tweet
Reuters
Published:
December 4, 2019
Updated:
December 4, 2019 10:14 PM EST
British rescue diver Vernon Unsworth, arrives at US District Court on Dec. 3, 2019 in Los Angeles, Calif. (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES — The British cave explorer suing Elon Musk testified on Wednesday he felt “branded a pedophile” by the billionaire entrepreneur, despite Musk’s assertion that his “pedo guy” tweet at the heart of the defamation case was not meant to be taken literally.
Vernon Unsworth, seeking unspecified damages in his lawsuit against Musk, took the witness stand on the second day of a trial stemming from their public squabble over last year’s rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave in Thailand.
Unsworth’s appearance in a packed federal courtroom in Los Angeles came hours after Musk, the chief executive of electric carmaker Tesla Inc and founder of rocket company SpaceX, concluded two days of testimony seeking to minimize his tweets as offhand comments.
But Unsworth, his voice cracking with emotion, said Musk’s remarks about him on Twitter left him feeling “humiliated, ashamed, dirtied.”
“Effectively, from day one, I was given a life sentence without parole. It hurts to talk about it,” Unsworth said.
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After helping coordinate the successful rescue of the soccer team and its coach from Thailand’s Tham Luang Nang Non cave in July 2018, Unsworth in a CNN interview mocked Musk’s offer of a mini-submersible as a “P.R. stunt” and said Musk could “stick his submarine where it hurts.”
Musk, who had traveled to the rescue site to deliver a mini-sub that was never used, has testified he took to Twitter to lash out at Unsworth after seeing the CNN interview because he found Unsworth’s remarks about him to be “extremely rude and contemptuous.”
OFF-THE-CUFF?
Musk apologized from the witness stand and expressed regret several times for his tweets, which he downplayed as “off-the-cuff” retorts he hurriedly wrote in anger and never intended to be taken seriously.
He also insisted in court, as he has before, that he did not believe Unsworth was a pedophile and was not even aware at the time that Unsworth, whom Musk also described then as a “British expat guy who lives in Thailand (sus)” – Twitter jargon for “I suspect” – was related to the cave rescue.
Unsworth, 64, who said he began caving as a hobby in 1971 and splits his time between Britain and Thailand, where he has a Thai girlfriend, said the force of Musk’s Twitter commentary was far from a casual insult.
“When you combine ‘sus’ and ‘ped guy,’ I took it to mean I was being branded a pedophile,” he testified.
Musk, 48, said the term “pedo guy” was a common epithet in South Africa, where he grew up.
“It’s an insult, like saying mother-effer doesn’t actually mean someone having sex with their mother,” he testified, using a sanitized version of a more vulgar expression.
Elon Musk testifies his 'pedo guy' tweet not meant to be taken literally
Elon Musk's defamation trial over 'pedo guy' tweet is narrowed
Musk capped his two-day appearance by acknowledging under questioning that his net worth, mostly from stock holdings in SpaceX and Tesla, ran about $20 billion.
“People think I have a lot of cash. I actually don’t,” he said.
U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson has said Unsworth’s defamation case hinges on whether a reasonable person would take Musk’s tweets to mean that he was calling Unsworth a pedophile.
To win his lawsuit, Unsworth needs to show that Musk was negligent in publishing a falsehood that clearly identified him and caused him harm. “Actual malice” by Musk does not need to be proven because the judge deemed Unsworth a private individual, not a public figure.
Although the case does not involve Tesla, Musk’s Twitter habits have long been under close scrutiny, with the company’s investors and regulators expressing concerns about his tweets.
With 29.9 million followers, Musk’s social media account is a major source of publicity for the Palo Alto, California-based Tesla, which does not advertise.
http://torontosun.com/news/world/british-cave-explorer-felt-branded-a-pedophile-by-elon-musk-tweet
Reuters
Published:
December 4, 2019
Updated:
December 4, 2019 10:14 PM EST
British rescue diver Vernon Unsworth, arrives at US District Court on Dec. 3, 2019 in Los Angeles, Calif. (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES — The British cave explorer suing Elon Musk testified on Wednesday he felt “branded a pedophile” by the billionaire entrepreneur, despite Musk’s assertion that his “pedo guy” tweet at the heart of the defamation case was not meant to be taken literally.
Vernon Unsworth, seeking unspecified damages in his lawsuit against Musk, took the witness stand on the second day of a trial stemming from their public squabble over last year’s rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave in Thailand.
Unsworth’s appearance in a packed federal courtroom in Los Angeles came hours after Musk, the chief executive of electric carmaker Tesla Inc and founder of rocket company SpaceX, concluded two days of testimony seeking to minimize his tweets as offhand comments.
But Unsworth, his voice cracking with emotion, said Musk’s remarks about him on Twitter left him feeling “humiliated, ashamed, dirtied.”
“Effectively, from day one, I was given a life sentence without parole. It hurts to talk about it,” Unsworth said.
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After helping coordinate the successful rescue of the soccer team and its coach from Thailand’s Tham Luang Nang Non cave in July 2018, Unsworth in a CNN interview mocked Musk’s offer of a mini-submersible as a “P.R. stunt” and said Musk could “stick his submarine where it hurts.”
Musk, who had traveled to the rescue site to deliver a mini-sub that was never used, has testified he took to Twitter to lash out at Unsworth after seeing the CNN interview because he found Unsworth’s remarks about him to be “extremely rude and contemptuous.”
OFF-THE-CUFF?
Musk apologized from the witness stand and expressed regret several times for his tweets, which he downplayed as “off-the-cuff” retorts he hurriedly wrote in anger and never intended to be taken seriously.
He also insisted in court, as he has before, that he did not believe Unsworth was a pedophile and was not even aware at the time that Unsworth, whom Musk also described then as a “British expat guy who lives in Thailand (sus)” – Twitter jargon for “I suspect” – was related to the cave rescue.
Unsworth, 64, who said he began caving as a hobby in 1971 and splits his time between Britain and Thailand, where he has a Thai girlfriend, said the force of Musk’s Twitter commentary was far from a casual insult.
“When you combine ‘sus’ and ‘ped guy,’ I took it to mean I was being branded a pedophile,” he testified.
Musk, 48, said the term “pedo guy” was a common epithet in South Africa, where he grew up.
“It’s an insult, like saying mother-effer doesn’t actually mean someone having sex with their mother,” he testified, using a sanitized version of a more vulgar expression.
Elon Musk testifies his 'pedo guy' tweet not meant to be taken literally
Elon Musk's defamation trial over 'pedo guy' tweet is narrowed
Musk capped his two-day appearance by acknowledging under questioning that his net worth, mostly from stock holdings in SpaceX and Tesla, ran about $20 billion.
“People think I have a lot of cash. I actually don’t,” he said.
U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson has said Unsworth’s defamation case hinges on whether a reasonable person would take Musk’s tweets to mean that he was calling Unsworth a pedophile.
To win his lawsuit, Unsworth needs to show that Musk was negligent in publishing a falsehood that clearly identified him and caused him harm. “Actual malice” by Musk does not need to be proven because the judge deemed Unsworth a private individual, not a public figure.
Although the case does not involve Tesla, Musk’s Twitter habits have long been under close scrutiny, with the company’s investors and regulators expressing concerns about his tweets.
With 29.9 million followers, Musk’s social media account is a major source of publicity for the Palo Alto, California-based Tesla, which does not advertise.
British diver suing Elon Musk over 'pedo guy' comment refuses to apologize
Reuters
Published:
December 5, 2019
Updated:
December 5, 2019 11:51 PM EST
Courtroom sketch shows Elon Musk during the trial in a defamation case filed by British cave diver Vernon Unsworth, who is suing the Tesla chief executive for calling him a "pedo guy" in one of a series of tweets, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., December 4, 2019. MONA SHAFER EDWARDS / REUTERS
LOS ANGELES — The British cave explorer suing Elon Musk for calling him a “pedo guy” on Twitter testified on Thursday that his criticism of the Tesla Inc chief executive that led to the tweet was not a personal attack.
In the defamation trial’s third day, Vernon Unsworth also refused to apologize for a July 13, 2018, CNN interview in which he said that Musk’s offer of a mini-submarine to help rescue a boys’ soccer team from a flooded Thailand cave was a “PR stunt” and Musk could “stick his submarine where it hurts.”
“My insult was to the tube and not to Mr. Musk personally,” Unsworth said while being cross-examined by Bill Price, one of Musk’s lawyers. “I’m not sure how I need to apologize. It was my opinion at the time and I stand by that opinion.”
Unsworth’s lawsuit focuses on three Musk tweets on July 15, 2018, five days after the diver helped complete the rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach from the cave.
Musk’s first tweet questioned Unsworth’s role in the rescue, while the second said, “Sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it.” The third tweet, in response to a follower who asked Musk about the second tweet, said “Bet ya a signed dollar it’s true.”
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Unsworth, 64, said the tweets harmed his reputation by branding him a pedophile and a liar, and said on Wednesday they left him “humiliated, ashamed, dirtied.”
His lawsuit seeks unspecified damages from Musk, who told the court this week his net worth is around $20 billion.
Legal experts are closely watching the case because it is believed to be the first major defamation lawsuit brought by a private individual to go to trial over a tweet.
Musk, 48, who was questioned throughout the afternoon on Tuesday by Unsworth’s lawyer, has maintained his composure. He apologized to Unsworth, and suggested to jurors the stress of working 80 to 100 hours a week during a challenging period for Tesla contributed to the outburst.
Jurors are expected to begin deliberations Friday after Judge Stephen Wilson formally instructs them before the two sides give closing arguments. Wilson rejected a motion from Musk’s lawyers to dismiss the case.
Elon Musk's defamation trial over 'pedo guy' tweet is narrowed
Elon Musk testifies his 'pedo guy' tweet not meant to be taken literally
British cave explorer felt 'branded a pedophile' by Elon Musk tweet
UNSWORTH’S REPUTATION
The Unsworth trial has revived discussion of Musk’s erratic behavior during 2018, when he also used Twitter to float a leveraged buyout proposal for Tesla that was scuttled and ultimately led to Musk paying $20 million to settle a Securities and Exchange Commission complaint.
For most of this year, however, Musk, who has nearly 30 million Twitter followers, has largely kept his public comments focused on Tesla’s new models and improved profitability and on the technical progress of SpaceX.
Musk’s lawyers on Thursday tried to weaken the defamation argument, suggesting Unsworth’s reputation was unsullied and that he even tried to profit from his role in the rescue, which won him plaudits from the Thai and British governments.
Asked if there was talk of his being a pedophile at a 10 Downing Street event where he stood next to Theresa May, then Britain’s prime minister, Unsworth said: “Not that I recall.”
Unsworth’s legal team called expert witness Jim Jansen who said the Musk tweets were disseminated widely in the news media – 490 English language articles in 33 countries.
They also called Unsworth’s estranged wife who gave him a character endorsement, despite the fact that Unsworth is living with his girlfriend part of the time in Thailand.
The “pedo-guy” tweet was “totally false,” she said.
In his own testimony, Musk dismissed his tweets as an “off the cuff” response to watching a replay of Unsworth’s CNN interview, at a time he felt overworked from running Tesla, which makes electric cars, and SpaceX, a rocket company that offered the mini-submarine.
To win his lawsuit, Unsworth needs to show Musk was negligent in publishing a falsehood that clearly identified him and caused him harm. He does not need to show that Musk acted with “actual malice,” which is much tougher to prove.
http://torontosun.com/news/world/br...sk-over-pedo-guy-comment-refuses-to-apologize
Reuters
Published:
December 5, 2019
Updated:
December 5, 2019 11:51 PM EST
Courtroom sketch shows Elon Musk during the trial in a defamation case filed by British cave diver Vernon Unsworth, who is suing the Tesla chief executive for calling him a "pedo guy" in one of a series of tweets, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., December 4, 2019. MONA SHAFER EDWARDS / REUTERS
LOS ANGELES — The British cave explorer suing Elon Musk for calling him a “pedo guy” on Twitter testified on Thursday that his criticism of the Tesla Inc chief executive that led to the tweet was not a personal attack.
In the defamation trial’s third day, Vernon Unsworth also refused to apologize for a July 13, 2018, CNN interview in which he said that Musk’s offer of a mini-submarine to help rescue a boys’ soccer team from a flooded Thailand cave was a “PR stunt” and Musk could “stick his submarine where it hurts.”
“My insult was to the tube and not to Mr. Musk personally,” Unsworth said while being cross-examined by Bill Price, one of Musk’s lawyers. “I’m not sure how I need to apologize. It was my opinion at the time and I stand by that opinion.”
Unsworth’s lawsuit focuses on three Musk tweets on July 15, 2018, five days after the diver helped complete the rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach from the cave.
Musk’s first tweet questioned Unsworth’s role in the rescue, while the second said, “Sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it.” The third tweet, in response to a follower who asked Musk about the second tweet, said “Bet ya a signed dollar it’s true.”
Story continues below
Unsworth, 64, said the tweets harmed his reputation by branding him a pedophile and a liar, and said on Wednesday they left him “humiliated, ashamed, dirtied.”
His lawsuit seeks unspecified damages from Musk, who told the court this week his net worth is around $20 billion.
Legal experts are closely watching the case because it is believed to be the first major defamation lawsuit brought by a private individual to go to trial over a tweet.
Musk, 48, who was questioned throughout the afternoon on Tuesday by Unsworth’s lawyer, has maintained his composure. He apologized to Unsworth, and suggested to jurors the stress of working 80 to 100 hours a week during a challenging period for Tesla contributed to the outburst.
Jurors are expected to begin deliberations Friday after Judge Stephen Wilson formally instructs them before the two sides give closing arguments. Wilson rejected a motion from Musk’s lawyers to dismiss the case.
Elon Musk's defamation trial over 'pedo guy' tweet is narrowed
Elon Musk testifies his 'pedo guy' tweet not meant to be taken literally
British cave explorer felt 'branded a pedophile' by Elon Musk tweet
UNSWORTH’S REPUTATION
The Unsworth trial has revived discussion of Musk’s erratic behavior during 2018, when he also used Twitter to float a leveraged buyout proposal for Tesla that was scuttled and ultimately led to Musk paying $20 million to settle a Securities and Exchange Commission complaint.
For most of this year, however, Musk, who has nearly 30 million Twitter followers, has largely kept his public comments focused on Tesla’s new models and improved profitability and on the technical progress of SpaceX.
Musk’s lawyers on Thursday tried to weaken the defamation argument, suggesting Unsworth’s reputation was unsullied and that he even tried to profit from his role in the rescue, which won him plaudits from the Thai and British governments.
Asked if there was talk of his being a pedophile at a 10 Downing Street event where he stood next to Theresa May, then Britain’s prime minister, Unsworth said: “Not that I recall.”
Unsworth’s legal team called expert witness Jim Jansen who said the Musk tweets were disseminated widely in the news media – 490 English language articles in 33 countries.
They also called Unsworth’s estranged wife who gave him a character endorsement, despite the fact that Unsworth is living with his girlfriend part of the time in Thailand.
The “pedo-guy” tweet was “totally false,” she said.
In his own testimony, Musk dismissed his tweets as an “off the cuff” response to watching a replay of Unsworth’s CNN interview, at a time he felt overworked from running Tesla, which makes electric cars, and SpaceX, a rocket company that offered the mini-submarine.
To win his lawsuit, Unsworth needs to show Musk was negligent in publishing a falsehood that clearly identified him and caused him harm. He does not need to show that Musk acted with “actual malice,” which is much tougher to prove.
Tesla boss Elon Musk wins defamation trial over 'pedo guy' tweet
Reuters
Published:
December 6, 2019
Updated:
December 6, 2019 10:30 PM EST
LOS ANGELES — Tesla Inc boss Elon Musk emerged victorious on Friday from a closely watched defamation trial as a federal court jury swiftly rejected the $190 million claim brought against him by a British cave explorer who Musk had branded a “pedo guy” on Twitter.
The unanimous verdict by a panel of five women and three men was returned after roughly 45 minutes of deliberation on the fourth day of Musk’s trial. Legal experts believe it was the first major defamation lawsuit brought by a private individual over remarks on Twitter to be decided by a jury.
The outcome was a triumph for Musk, whose mercurial behavior in a number of instances last year came under close scrutiny from federal regulators and shareholders of Tesla, his Silicon Valley-based electric car manufacturer.
The jury’s decision signals a higher legal threshold for challenging potentially libelous Twitter comments, said L. Lin Wood, the high-profile trial lawyer who led the legal team for the plaintiff, Vernon Unsworth.
British rescue diver Vernon Unsworth, arrives at U.S. District Court on Dec. 3, 2019 in Los Angeles, Calif. (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)
“This verdict puts everyone’s reputation at risk,” Wood told reporters after the verdict was announced.
Other lawyers specializing in defamation agreed the verdict reflects how the freewheeling nature of social media has altered understandings of what distinguishes libel punishable in court from casual rhetoric and hyperbole protected as free speech.
Musk, 48, who had testified during the first two days of the trial in his own defense and returned to court on Friday to hear closing arguments, exited the courtroom after the verdict and said: “My faith in humanity is restored.”
‘TAKE IT ON THE CHIN’
Outside the courthouse, Unsworth, 64, said he was resigned to his defeat. “I accept the jury’s verdict, take it on the chin and get on with my life.”
Wood said his client went “toe to toe with a billionaire bully,” echoing a phrase from his summation earlier in court, and indicated to reporters that an appeal was doubtful.
“It’s not the verdict we wanted. But it’s the end of the road and we now close this chapter,” Wood said.
He said he nevertheless saw the lawsuit as meaningful in helping erase the stain he said Unsworth’s reputation suffered.
During the course of the trial, Musk testified under oath that his use of the term “pedo guy” – slang for pedophile – was never meant to be taken literally, and he apologized to Unsworth for the comment from the witness stand.
The case stems from a public quarrel between Musk and Unsworth, a British diver who lives part-time in Thailand and gained fame for his leading role in coordinating the successful rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave in that country in July 2018.
Unsworth had chided Musk in a CNN interview for delivering a mini-submarine, which was never used, to the site of the Tham Luang Nang Non cave system. Unsworth called Musk’s intervention a “P.R.” stunt and said the high-tech entrepreneur should “stick his submarine where it hurts.”
THREE TWEETS
Musk responded two days later on Twitter with three posts that became the basis of the defamation case. The first questioned Unsworth’s role in the rescue, while the second said, “Sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it.”
The third tweet, in reply to a follower who asked Musk about the second tweet, said, “Bet ya a signed dollar it’s true.”
Wood said during his summation that Musk’s tweets were akin to a “nuclear bomb” that would overshadow Unsworth’s relationships and job prospects for years to come and urged jurors to teach the Tesla chief executive and SpaceX founder a lesson by awarding Unsworth $190 million, including $150 million in punitive damages.
Two days earlier, under questioning on the witness stand, Musk had estimated his net worth at $20 billion.
But the jury was apparently swayed by the arguments put forth by Musk’s attorney, Alex Spiro, who said the tweets in question amounted to an off-hand insult in the midst of an argument, which no one could be expected to take seriously.
“In arguments you insult people,” he said. “No bomb went off.”
The defense also said Unsworth failed to demonstrate any harm from the Twitter comments and even tried to profit from his role in the rescue, which won him plaudits from the Thai and British governments.
U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson had said the case hinged on whether a reasonable person would take Musk’s Twitter statements to mean he was actually calling Unsworth a pedophile.
To win, Unsworth needed to show that Musk was negligent in publishing a falsehood that clearly identified the plaintiff and caused him harm. “Actual malice” on Musk’s part, a high standard in defamation cases, did not need to be proven since the judge deemed Unsworth a private individual, not a public figure.
The trial revived discussion of Musk’s erratic behavior in 2018, when he used Twitter to float a leveraged buyout proposal for Tesla that was scuttled, ultimately paying $20 million to settle a Securities and Exchange Commission complaint.
For most of 2019, Musk, who has nearly 30 million Twitter followers, has largely kept his public comments focused on Tesla’s new models and improved profitability and on the technical progress of his aerospace company, SpaceX.
http://torontosun.com/news/world/tesla-inc-boss-elon-musk-wins-defamation-trial-over-pedo-guy-tweet
Reuters
Published:
December 6, 2019
Updated:
December 6, 2019 10:30 PM EST
LOS ANGELES — Tesla Inc boss Elon Musk emerged victorious on Friday from a closely watched defamation trial as a federal court jury swiftly rejected the $190 million claim brought against him by a British cave explorer who Musk had branded a “pedo guy” on Twitter.
The unanimous verdict by a panel of five women and three men was returned after roughly 45 minutes of deliberation on the fourth day of Musk’s trial. Legal experts believe it was the first major defamation lawsuit brought by a private individual over remarks on Twitter to be decided by a jury.
The outcome was a triumph for Musk, whose mercurial behavior in a number of instances last year came under close scrutiny from federal regulators and shareholders of Tesla, his Silicon Valley-based electric car manufacturer.
The jury’s decision signals a higher legal threshold for challenging potentially libelous Twitter comments, said L. Lin Wood, the high-profile trial lawyer who led the legal team for the plaintiff, Vernon Unsworth.
British rescue diver Vernon Unsworth, arrives at U.S. District Court on Dec. 3, 2019 in Los Angeles, Calif. (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)
“This verdict puts everyone’s reputation at risk,” Wood told reporters after the verdict was announced.
Other lawyers specializing in defamation agreed the verdict reflects how the freewheeling nature of social media has altered understandings of what distinguishes libel punishable in court from casual rhetoric and hyperbole protected as free speech.
Musk, 48, who had testified during the first two days of the trial in his own defense and returned to court on Friday to hear closing arguments, exited the courtroom after the verdict and said: “My faith in humanity is restored.”
‘TAKE IT ON THE CHIN’
Outside the courthouse, Unsworth, 64, said he was resigned to his defeat. “I accept the jury’s verdict, take it on the chin and get on with my life.”
Wood said his client went “toe to toe with a billionaire bully,” echoing a phrase from his summation earlier in court, and indicated to reporters that an appeal was doubtful.
“It’s not the verdict we wanted. But it’s the end of the road and we now close this chapter,” Wood said.
He said he nevertheless saw the lawsuit as meaningful in helping erase the stain he said Unsworth’s reputation suffered.
During the course of the trial, Musk testified under oath that his use of the term “pedo guy” – slang for pedophile – was never meant to be taken literally, and he apologized to Unsworth for the comment from the witness stand.
The case stems from a public quarrel between Musk and Unsworth, a British diver who lives part-time in Thailand and gained fame for his leading role in coordinating the successful rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave in that country in July 2018.
Unsworth had chided Musk in a CNN interview for delivering a mini-submarine, which was never used, to the site of the Tham Luang Nang Non cave system. Unsworth called Musk’s intervention a “P.R.” stunt and said the high-tech entrepreneur should “stick his submarine where it hurts.”
THREE TWEETS
Musk responded two days later on Twitter with three posts that became the basis of the defamation case. The first questioned Unsworth’s role in the rescue, while the second said, “Sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it.”
The third tweet, in reply to a follower who asked Musk about the second tweet, said, “Bet ya a signed dollar it’s true.”
Wood said during his summation that Musk’s tweets were akin to a “nuclear bomb” that would overshadow Unsworth’s relationships and job prospects for years to come and urged jurors to teach the Tesla chief executive and SpaceX founder a lesson by awarding Unsworth $190 million, including $150 million in punitive damages.
Two days earlier, under questioning on the witness stand, Musk had estimated his net worth at $20 billion.
But the jury was apparently swayed by the arguments put forth by Musk’s attorney, Alex Spiro, who said the tweets in question amounted to an off-hand insult in the midst of an argument, which no one could be expected to take seriously.
“In arguments you insult people,” he said. “No bomb went off.”
The defense also said Unsworth failed to demonstrate any harm from the Twitter comments and even tried to profit from his role in the rescue, which won him plaudits from the Thai and British governments.
U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson had said the case hinged on whether a reasonable person would take Musk’s Twitter statements to mean he was actually calling Unsworth a pedophile.
To win, Unsworth needed to show that Musk was negligent in publishing a falsehood that clearly identified the plaintiff and caused him harm. “Actual malice” on Musk’s part, a high standard in defamation cases, did not need to be proven since the judge deemed Unsworth a private individual, not a public figure.
The trial revived discussion of Musk’s erratic behavior in 2018, when he used Twitter to float a leveraged buyout proposal for Tesla that was scuttled, ultimately paying $20 million to settle a Securities and Exchange Commission complaint.
For most of 2019, Musk, who has nearly 30 million Twitter followers, has largely kept his public comments focused on Tesla’s new models and improved profitability and on the technical progress of his aerospace company, SpaceX.
Thai navy SEAL who took part in cave rescue dies after year-long infection
Reuters
Published:
December 27, 2019
Updated:
December 27, 2019 8:31 AM EST
Hundreds of rescuers with equipment continue the rescue operation at the Tham Luang Nang Non cave on July 6, 2018 in Chiang Rai, Thailand. The 12 boys and their soccer coach have been found alive in the cave where they've been missing for more than a week.Linh Pham / Getty Images / Files
BANGKOK — A Thai navy SEAL who took part in the dramatic rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave in northern Thailand last year has died from a blood infection he contracted during the operation, the Royal Thai Navy said on Friday.
Petty Officer Beiret Bureerak had been receiving treatment, but his condition worsened, the navy said in a statement.
Another rescuer, former navy diver Sergeant Saman Kuman, died during the rescue operation.
Wild Boars Academy’s coach Ekapol Chanthawong and 12 boys had gone to explore the Tham Luang caves in Chiang Rai province on June 23, 2018, when a rainy-season downpour flooded the cave system and trapped them underground.
They survived for nine days on water dripping from rocks before they were discovered. Volunteers from abroad joined the rescue effort, which ended on July 10 when the boys and their coach were all brought out safely.
http://torontosun.com/news/world/th...in-cave-rescue-dies-after-year-long-infection
Reuters
Published:
December 27, 2019
Updated:
December 27, 2019 8:31 AM EST
Hundreds of rescuers with equipment continue the rescue operation at the Tham Luang Nang Non cave on July 6, 2018 in Chiang Rai, Thailand. The 12 boys and their soccer coach have been found alive in the cave where they've been missing for more than a week.Linh Pham / Getty Images / Files
BANGKOK — A Thai navy SEAL who took part in the dramatic rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave in northern Thailand last year has died from a blood infection he contracted during the operation, the Royal Thai Navy said on Friday.
Petty Officer Beiret Bureerak had been receiving treatment, but his condition worsened, the navy said in a statement.
Another rescuer, former navy diver Sergeant Saman Kuman, died during the rescue operation.
Wild Boars Academy’s coach Ekapol Chanthawong and 12 boys had gone to explore the Tham Luang caves in Chiang Rai province on June 23, 2018, when a rainy-season downpour flooded the cave system and trapped them underground.
They survived for nine days on water dripping from rocks before they were discovered. Volunteers from abroad joined the rescue effort, which ended on July 10 when the boys and their coach were all brought out safely.
http://torontosun.com/news/world/th...in-cave-rescue-dies-after-year-long-infection
I watched the documentary on the rescue. There was no way in hell any sub, no matter how small, was going to get through that cave to rescue anyone.