British cave explorer felt 'branded a pedophile' by Elon Musk tweet

By Nichola Groom and Rachel Parsons

 

Courtroom sketch shows British cave diver Vernon Unsworth during the trial in a defamation case filed by Unsworth, who is suing Tesla chief executive Elon Musk for calling him a "pedo guy" in one of a series of tweets, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., December 4, 2019. REUTERS/Mona Shafer Edwards

 

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - 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.

 

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."

 

Elon Musk, wrapping up two days of testimony at his defamation trial on Wednesday, insisted his “pedo guy” Twitter message at the heart of the case was an “off-the-cuff” insult hurriedly written in anger and not meant to be taken literally. Tamara Lindstrom reports.

 

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.

 

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.

 

(Reporting by Nichola Groom and Rachel Parsons; Additional reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Bill Tarrant and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-12-05

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Hope Unsworth loses his case. His low life insulting remarks against Musk were only made because he did not like losing his once in a lifetime limelight to someone far more educated and intelligent than him

9 minutes ago, gamini said:

Hope Unsworth loses his case. His low life insulting remarks against Musk were only made because he did not like losing his once in a lifetime limelight to someone far more educated and intelligent than him

I hope the court hold Musk to account for his unacceptable comments on several occasions, he did not do it once only, he also verbalised the same comments

17 minutes ago, gamini said:

Hope Unsworth loses his case. His low life insulting remarks against Musk were only made because he did not like losing his once in a lifetime limelight to someone far more educated and intelligent than him

Oh, my, gawd............Try again, without thinking about what you envy.........????

5 hours ago, webfact said:

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.

Exaggeration, hyperbole, hysteria.

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Elon Musk, wrapping up two days of testimony at his defamation trial on Wednesday, insisted his “pedo guy” Twitter message at the heart of the case was an “off-the-cuff” insult hurriedly written in anger and not meant to be taken literally.

 

Wow....imagine that!

Unsworth's gonna get rich. Good for him. Those cave kids and their coach are alive because of his initiative.

 

Elon's brilliant but by all accounts an ahole. A little slap on the head will not be out of place.

connect Musk his testicles to a Tesla battery..... see if he still got a big mouth.

Way too much drama!

Unsworth saw an opportunity to make money, just like those Me-Too chicks suing everyone in the US.

Did Unsworth ever deny being a pedo?

35 minutes ago, KenKadz said:

Way too much drama!

Unsworth saw an opportunity to make money, just like those Me-Too chicks suing everyone in the US.

Did Unsworth ever deny being a pedo?

Unlike your comments, he has remained dignified.  His court statements quoted in the article can only be taken as abject denial.

I have been called a <deleted> a few times(or more)in my lifetime.

Who can i sue?My friendly neighbor who is a ...................?

Nah, he has no money!!!!

2 hours ago, jvs said:

I have been called a <deleted> a few times(or more)in my lifetime.

Who can i sue?My friendly neighbor who is a ...................?

Nah, he has no money!!!!

Have you been branded a pedophile on social media by someone with 30 million followers?

1 hour ago, KenKadz said:

...Did Unsworth ever deny being a pedo?

Musk: "Unsworth is a paedo guy"

Unsworth: "No, I am not."

Musk: "If he is not, why does he not sue me?"

Unsworth sues Musk.

 

The above is a short summary of what  led to the law suit now in progress in Los Angeles.

First of all it all started with Unsworth throwing a punch at Musk with: "Stick your little submarine where the sun doesn't shine." Now this in my book is provocation. So, out jumped Musk with "pedo guy". They both are wrong. Shake on it and move on. Musk can only get the publicity he so eagerly embraces with "Twitter" and Unsworth can return to the pages of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde!!!

24 minutes ago, Dr. Zorg said:

First of all it all started with Unsworth throwing a punch at Musk with: "Stick your little submarine where the sun doesn't shine." Now this in my book is provocation. So, out jumped Musk with "pedo guy"...

First of all it started with Vernon Unsworth being born, but that is not why Musk is in court now, nor is he in court because of the comment that Unsworth directed at him.

 

2 hours ago, spiekerjozef said:

connect Musk his testicles to a Tesla battery..... see if he still got a big mouth.

Better we try it someone who is devoid common decency. Someone like you. 

Musk is full of South African hyena poo-poo. He’s know for his diarrhea of the mouth. I hope he loses in court. It would be a good lesson to him. 

And ( unfortunately) accusing a man as a rapist, sexual predator, or pedophile automatically labels you before due process. 

1 hour ago, Yadon Toploy said:

Have you been branded a pedophile on social media by someone with 30 million followers?

Neither have i pxssed someone off who has 30 million followers.

9 hours ago, webfact said:

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.

One doth protest too much, methinks.  All very dramatic.  Vern hasn't mentioned or clarified his initial opening gambit so far I notice.

4 hours ago, transam said:

Oh, my, gawd............Try again, without thinking about what you envy.........????

What's with the new avatar? will you be changing your used name to Tarzan? LOL

 

 The same you said above can be said about success resentment. 

1 hour ago, Puccini said:

Musk: "Unsworth is a paedo guy"

Unsworth: "No, I am not."

Musk: "If he is not, why does he not sue me?"

Unsworth sues Musk.

 

The avbove is a short summary of what  led to the law suit now in progress in Los Angeles.

Didn't Musk also make comments about Unsworth's relationship with a Thai lady?

4 minutes ago, micmichd said:

Didn't Musk also make comments about Unsworth's relationship with a Thai lady?

Comments about a Thai lady doesn't appear to be part of the lawsuit so probably irrelevant.  

Poor guy, he's been branded like a cow! ???? He will need Psychotherapy for the rest of his life.????

It is very clear that Elon Musk made a completely uncalled for and VERY public slanderous remark against British cave diver Vernon Unsworth.

 

Elon has also been VERY slow to retract his remark and appologise publically for his potty mouth.

 

California law covers whats going to happen next.

https://www.shouselaw.com/personal-injury/defamation.html

 

40 minutes ago, SteveB2 said:

It is very clear that Elon Musk made a completely uncalled for and VERY public slanderous remark against British cave diver Vernon Unsworth.

 

Elon has also been VERY slow to retract his remark and appologise publically for his potty mouth.

 

California law covers whats going to happen next.

https://www.shouselaw.com/personal-injury/defamation.html

 

If it was so clear they would not be in court now would they?

All of this press has put his name + pedo together much more than Elon ever could have. He might get some money, maybe not, but now he will always be known to many as the pedo guy. I hope the payoff is worth that.

 

This is what backfiring looks like. 

10 hours ago, zydeco said:

Exaggeration, hyperbole, hysteria.

Expert on Unsworth emotions , very good

3 minutes ago, dcnx said:

All of this press has put his name + pedo together much more than Elon ever could have. He might get some money, maybe not, but now he will always be known to many as the pedo guy. I hope the payoff is worth that.

 

This is what backfiring looks like. 

Musk apologised, Vernon should had apologised also for saying " stick it where it hurts", They could had met, had lunch, had a press conference where they shook hands and this would had being the end, Vernon might had even landed a nice job somewhere with all the positive press.  Now? I agree with you he did not play this well at all,I think the lawyers with $$ in their eyes led him down the wrong path.  .

6 hours ago, micmichd said:

Didn't Musk also make comments about Unsworth's relationship with a Thai lady?

Made comments about the “Thai lady” being very young, actually his wife. 

I came across this amusing article chronicling the first day of the court hearings:

 

ELON MUSK TRIES TO EXPLAIN TWITTER IN ‘PEDO GUY’ DEFAMATION CASE
The defamation trial started today

By Elizabeth Lopatto@mslopatto  Dec 4, 2019, 2:14am EST

 

Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/4/20994895/elon-musk-testimony-vernon-unsworth-tweet-negligence-la-courthouse