Elon Musk says 'pedo guy' tweet did not suggest British cave diver was pedophile

By Jonathan Stempel

 

FILE PHOTO: SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk gestures during a conversation with legendary game designer Todd Howard (not pictured) at the E3 gaming convention in Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 13, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Blake

 

(Reuters) - 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 apologised, 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.

 

"'Pedo guy' was a common insult used in South Africa when I was growing up," Musk, 48, who was raised in Pretoria, said in a court filing. "It is synonymous with 'creepy old man' and is used to insult a person's appearance and demeanour.

 

"I did not intend to accuse Mr. Unsworth of engaging in acts of pedophilia," Musk added. "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 urging him to "stop defending child rapists" was based on a private investigator's report on Unsworth, and that he did not then know the statement was false.

 

Unsworth has denied Musk's allegations, and has said he had shared a house in the Thailand countryside with a 40-year-old woman who owned a nail salon.

 

L. Lin Wood, a lawyer for Unsworth, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

 

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 towards him with "actual malice," a high standard.

 

Unsworth is seeking compensatory and punitive damages. A trial is scheduled for Dec. 2.

 

Musk's Twitter use prompted a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit. A settlement approved in April sets out when Musk must obtain advance approval from a Tesla securities lawyer before posting.

 

The case is Unsworth v Musk, U.S. District Court, Central District of California, No. 18-08048.

 

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Tom Brown)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-09-17

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Two of a  kind, he  had  no need  to mention shoving it up what he clearly  meant was  Musk's ass and there was  no need for the Paedo  comment, case  dismissed  stop being a pair of pratts and shake  hands.

Edited September 16, 20196 yr by Chazar

Musk does seem like an arrogant c*ock but for once it'd be nice to see the gold diggers lose ; )

5 minutes ago, Meddle said:

Musk does seem like an arrogant c*ock but for once it'd be nice to see the gold diggers lose ; )

Who is a gold digger and what evidence do you have that this case was taken out purely for monetary gain? 

3 hours ago, Chazar said:

Two of a  kind, he  had  no need  to mention shoving it up what he clearly  meant was  Musk's ass and there was  no need for the Paedo  comment, case  dismissed  stop being a pair of pratts and shake  hands.

Without such a court case, there would be no stopping slime ball musk. He's an obsessive entitlement freak.

Edited September 16, 20196 yr by Card

So “pedo-guy” merely refers to “creepy old man”.... 

 

And it does so by linking them to what exactly?

 

If that is the best defense his lawyers could come up with, he should just sign the cheque now and move on with his life ????

23 minutes ago, Card said:

Who is a gold digger and what evidence do you have that this case was taken out purely for monetary gain? 

Musk is a truly great man, and ThaiVisa do nothing  types should not make bad remarks about him

4 hours ago, Chazar said:

Two of a  kind, he  had  no need  to mention shoving it up what he clearly  meant was  Musk's ass and there was  no need for the Paedo  comment, case  dismissed  stop being a pair of pratts and shake  hands.

 

In BritEng, being accused of pedophilia is a life threatening insult; far worse than being called a racist. Vigilantes will burn your house down, and you have to be put in a separate part of a prison, away from the other convicts for your own safety.

 

Musk paid $50,000 to a private detective, who claimed that Unsworth was a whoremonger in Pattaya and had known his 40 year old wife, in the Biblical sense,  since she was 12.

 

Musk meant more than ‘creepy’ when he used the word ‘pedo’. He has had plenty of time to clarify his use of the word but his subsequent ‘off the record’ comments to Buzzfeed show what he really thought of Unsworth.

 

See the additional information in this link: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7470385/Elon-Musk-doubles-pedophile-allegation-against-British-diver-court-filing.html

Edited September 17, 20196 yr by silver sea

4 hours ago, Chazar said:

Two of a  kind, he  had  no need  to mention shoving it up what he clearly  meant was  Musk's ass and there was  no need for the Paedo  comment, case  dismissed  stop being a pair of pratts and shake  hands.

The problem in the modern age is that nothing that is on the internet goes away. So one uttered one cannot like the old days retract a comment in the press. Also now there is no arbiter like a reporter or editor to head defamatory comments off at the pass. 

 

So in today's times is a great time to do what many mother's told their children. If you can't say something nice about someone , don't say anything.

 

Who is a gold digger and what evidence do you have that this case was taken out purely for monetary gain? 

Well i think the poster suggests Unswort wouldn’t have sued a Bar Girl that called him something he didn’t like.!.


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

sure... and if I call him a retard I don't really mean he is retarded.

 

own up and face the music...

4 hours ago, Chazar said:

Two of a  kind, he  had  no need  to mention shoving it up what he clearly  meant was  Musk's ass and there was  no need for the Paedo  comment, case  dismissed  stop being a pair of pratts and shake  hands.

One of them put his time and knowledge into helping rescuing the kids, the other used it for grandstanding a product that clearly wouldn't work. So no, not the same.

 

1 hour ago, Card said:

Who is a gold digger and what evidence do you have that this case was taken out purely for monetary gain? 

Because Musk apologised but unsworth went ahead with the law suit anyway which indicates an apology was not enough and wants monetary gain ergo the term gold digger.

 

Personally I think both of them are childish with inflated egos. 

12 minutes ago, alan grice said:

Well i think the poster suggests Unswort wouldn’t have sued a Bar Girl that called him something he didn’t like.!.


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

False equivalence - big difference between called something on the street and someone saying it via the media - big, big difference

1 hour ago, Meddle said:

Musk does seem like an arrogant c*ock but for once it'd be nice to see the gold diggers lose ; )

 

No one lost anything, except you who lost his reading comprehension.

28 minutes ago, silver sea said:

 

In BritEng, being accused of pedophilia is a life threatening insult; far worse than being called a racist. Vigilantes will burn your house down, and you have to be put in a separate part of a prison, away from the other convicts.

 

Musk hired a private detective who claimed Unsworth was a whoremonger in Pattaya and had known his 40 year old wife, in the Biblical sense,  since she was 12.

 

See the additional information in this link: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7470385/Elon-Musk-doubles-pedophile-allegation-against-British-diver-court-filing.html

Just goes to show what sort of man Musk is to hire a PI against a hero! Disgusting

Unsworth's comment on Musk having no frakking idea about about the dive configuration were 1000% pertinent. Anyway Musk's submarine was indeed a mere giant suppository.

5 hours ago, Chazar said:

Two of a  kind, he  had  no need  to mention shoving it up what he clearly  meant was  Musk's ass and there was  no need for the Paedo  comment, case  dismissed  stop being a pair of pratts and shake  hands.

 

Spot on,

 

but it looks like somebody thinks there is money to be earned.......I am fairly sure lawyers are encouraging this every step of the way.

 

Bad comments from both sides.

Linn Wood lives for libel cases and he only takes the best. Musk will settle before trial.

This whole story upsets me a great deal as it reveals the extent of the stereotype that includes all senior westerners associated with Thai ladies. No one is allowed to have an opinion on women, people of certain backgrounds, sexual preferences, etc. but it is fair to assert that old men are creepy, hence "pedos". Once we are associate with a younger Thai wife we become criminal, despicable perverts.

1 hour ago, Fred31 said:

Musk is a truly great man, and ThaiVisa do nothing  types should not make bad remarks about him

If he is a truly great man he should refrain from insulting others. Let alone do that publicly and in the manner he did.

Musk made an unguarded comment which had enormous consquencies for Unsworth. He should be man enough to admit it, not try and slime his way out of it.
If Unsworth wins, he should give any money above expenses to local charity, and await canonization.

5 minutes ago, dcsw53 said:

Musk made an unguarded comment which had enormous consquencies for Unsworth. He should be man enough to admit it, not try and slime his way out of it.
If Unsworth wins, he should give any money above expenses to local charity, and await canonization.

 

Why should he give his money away, what a load of rubbish.

It's his daugther that got bullied in the UK for musks bs comments and his life that got messed up.

  Total arrogant slimeball.  But I didn't mean to call him a total arrogant slimeball.

5 hours ago, webfact said:

I meant to insult him back by expressing my opinion that he seemed like a creepy old man."

 

A creepy old guy who was in a cave trying to rescue young children who were in a desperate situation.
The comment was un-warranted, even though Unsworth had said his over-sized suppository would not work in the cave system..

5 hours ago, Chazar said:

Two of a  kind, he  had  no need  to mention shoving it up what he clearly  meant was  Musk's ass and there was  no need for the Paedo  comment, case  dismissed  stop being a pair of pratts and shake  hands.

If someone called me a pedo i would do more that sue them when i saw them and it WOULD NOT BE TO JUST SHAKE HIS HAND i like you say 

1 hour ago, Fred31 said:

Musk is a truly great man, and ThaiVisa do nothing  types should not make bad remarks about him

He may be a "great man" in some respects, but he is still a narcissist and a <deleted>.

 

Are you saying us "little people" have no right to criticize the foolish behaviour of our "betters"?

6 hours ago, Chazar said:

Two of a  kind, he  had  no need  to mention shoving it up what he clearly  meant was  Musk's ass and there was  no need for the Paedo  comment, case  dismissed  stop being a pair of pratts and shake  hands.

So ...an idiot calls you a PAEDO and you shake hands.Not for me!

56 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

 

Spot on,

 

but it looks like somebody thinks there is money to be earned.......I am fairly sure lawyers are encouraging this every step of the way.

 

Bad comments from both sides.

No.....you do NOT ever call a man a PAEDO ! End of !

2 hours ago, Meddle said:

Musk does seem like an arrogant c*ock but for once it'd be nice to see the gold diggers lose ; )

Yes and you would accept being publicised as a " PEDO" !