Tesla boss Elon Musk wins defamation trial over 'pedo guy' tweet

[pookondee]

Id saysomeone managed to send a hint to the jury that a "wrong" decision would open a can of worms...

therefore upsetting a lot of rich folk who would then be accountable for mistreating the plebs.

No need to complain about the Thai court system, this kind of BS is prevalent the world over.

Disgusting. 

 

[Neeranam]

1 hour ago, Dustdevil said:

That's very rare.

And very stupid.

[Derek B]

4 hours ago, sunnyboy2018 said:

On the contrary.  A reputation for being a peedo in the UK is a death sentence.  Elon used the cruelist  meanest insult he could because his fragile ego was hurt when someone told him the truth. Elon still faces legal action in Thailand and The UK.

Lets hope he wins there..................

 

[Millcx]

5 hours ago, MarineEquine said:

One law for the rich and another for the poor. 

Yep ... Another OJ Simpson court Case .. Money Talks

[Derek B]

4 hours ago, BestB said:

I never realised he was seeing $180 million in damages . Hardly surprising he lost

 

maybe if he was more smart and seeking $100000-200000 he would of won but $$180 million ?????

Financial penalties have to be proportionate to wealth otherwise they serve no purpose. If he had promised to donate a significant proportion to charity that might of helped sway the jury.

[monkfish]

4 minutes ago, Millcx said:

Yep ... Another OJ Simpson court Case .. Money Talks

Or just maybe they think he's Not Guilty.

[Derek B]

3 hours ago, Chazar said:

ridiculous  amount

Presumably the court could vary the amount.

[Derek B]

12 minutes ago, Millcx said:

Yep ... Another OJ Simpson court Case .. Money Talks

Yep...............but he got stuffed in a civil court later.

[Derek B]

1 hour ago, Penicillin said:

Most notably in US courts...........and now trending to other countries.

[smew]

Bravo.. good verdict ..simply a silly remark that we all make every day about people we know and no one takes us to court...why??... because we can not pay up the millions that greedy want…..

[Derek B]

8 minutes ago, smew said:

Bravo.. good verdict ..simply a silly remark that we all make every day about people we know and no one takes us to court...why??... because we can not pay up the millions that greedy want…..

You don't sue poor people..........the claim was proportionate to his wealth.

[Neeranam]

2 hours ago, JRG23 said:

If it was a UK court Musk would have lost. UK courts much much harsher on defamation.

Less corrupt, I think you mean.

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The plaintiff, Vernon Unsworth, was seeking $190 million damages against Musk

Unsworth or the ridiculous money grabbing lawyers...

[ujayujay]

Unsworth was smelling the Money, the Court his intention????

Edited December 7, 2019 by ujayujay

[Neeranam]

10 minutes ago, smew said:

Bravo.. good verdict ..simply a silly remark that we all make every day about people we know and no one takes us to court...why??... because we can not pay up the millions that greedy want…..

I never make this comment to people I know. Wow.

[newatthis]

3 hours ago, Traubert said:

Unsworth was, is and will be a hero, remembered long after his demise for his bravery.

 

Musk is a grubby little PEJ who will be dismissed in history without a second thought.

 

See what I mean about dignity? 

 

No, you probably can't even spell it.

I don't know Unsworth from a bar of soap.

But I'll always remember his arrogant face on TV telling Musk to shove his sub up his <deleted>.

And I'll always remember him as the man with greedy lawsuit.

Unfortunately, his efforts at the cave have paled in comparison to these 2 things.

And despite what TVF members may think, many others will remember him the same way.

[cardinalblue]

Why criticize an all American jury in a trial held in America? What do you expect?

 

sounds like you are envious of America....

 

He wanted to sodomize Musk with a sub...ok 2 adults, maybe not a pedi guy just gay....

Edited December 7, 2019 by cardinalblue

[kevden]

5 hours ago, sunnyboy2018 said:

On the contrary.  A reputation for being a peedo in the UK is a death sentence.  Elon used the cruelist  meanest insult he could because his fragile ego was hurt when someone told him the truth. Elon still faces legal action in Thailand and The UK.

And the lawyers will make more and more money. It was two guys throwing insults at each other at an emotional time. It could have been handled better by each of them but I have no doubt lawyers saw opportunity to make serious money. 

I would not like to have been falsely accused of being a 'pedo', but I hope I would not have thrown the first insult and also focused on the positive outcome for the trapped people. 

If the lawyers have any decency, Mr. Usworth's bill will be modest. 

Edited December 7, 2019 by kevden

[Solinvictus]

5 hours ago, Fex Bluse said:

Vern should not have wasted his time and money. 

 

That aggressive defamation nonsense only works in undeveloped countries like Thailand. 

 

Never should have mouthed off about Musk's efforts to help either. 

Thats the thing. Many folks are quick to dish it out and quick to call the cops when it's given back them. I do have a particular country in mind of such folks. Ha, he was seeking 190$ in damages. That is excessive and I'm sure the jury considered that preposterous dollar amount.

Edited December 7, 2019 by Solinvictus

[ExpatLife]

5 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

This is just wrong.

 

I know that both sides do share some blame, but labeling a guy 'Pedo' on a public forum for no good reason should not be allowed.

 

I am a fan of Elon most of the time, but not at this time.

 

Hey Elon! Do the right thing and cut this guy a cheque for all his attorney's fees; you are a multi-billionaire and it is (literally!) the least that you can do.

 

 

Elon has essentially reinvented the wheel several times over. 
His Space X ventures have been pretty successful, yet he simply put the money there. He also wasn't the first to launch a rocket and land it back on to a pad. The Hyper Loop is a joke, and is not only unrealistic and costly, but highly dangerous if it is to operate as he suggests. 
There is a very good scientist on YouTube known as Thunderf00t, and he is constantly debunking his ideas and pointing out Musk's follies 

Edited December 7, 2019 by ExpatLife

[Brayka]

You see what money can achieve!!

[ftpjtm]

3 hours ago, Time Traveller said:

Well that sucks for Pedo guy. Those high priced rock star american lawyers don't come cheap.

Probably had no understanding that in America, ordinary people stand no chance against the wealthy. Of course his lawyer wasn't going to tell him that. They get paid no matter what happens.

You and everyone else who've said this are wrong. Very good chance the case was taken on contingency, which means Unsworth spent nothing but his time and possibly some travel expenses. If he won, he would have shared 33% of the proceeds with his lawyers who likely insisted on the $190M figure - they were making a bet and lost.

 

Musk on the other hand paid out a hefty sum in lawyers fees to defend himself.

[Lacessit]

4 hours ago, hobz said:

Unsworth started the argument by telling musk to shove his submarine where the sun don't shine. So no, arrogance does not pay off.

That was an insult to the idea, not the person. Musk was arrogant in labelling Unsworth a pedophile, and equally arrogant in claiming he didn't mean it. Complete BS.

He thought his money would protect him, and he was right. This time.

[BigStar]

Unsworth, not to mention his defenders here on this topic, simply had the wrong definition of pedo guy. Look it up:

 

pedo guy

An abbreviation of the word torpedo, pedo is a term of endearment often used by business magnates, investors and engineers, for a fast and excellent swimmer or diver. Sometimes, divers in Thailand who rescue young soccer teams from caves believe it means pedophile, but that's not the case.

PERSON 1: “Sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it.”
PERSON 2: "Did you just call me a pedophile?"
PERSON 1: No, it's short for torpedo. You swim really fast."
PERSON 2: "Oh my bad. And thank you. You are a true gentleman."
PERSON 1: "And you, sir, are a true pedo."

by ElonM July 18, 2018

 

A few more definitions at https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pedo guy.

 

And our members, perhaps going more by English law, don't understand the legal standards to be met for a successful defamation suit in the USA, with its free speech amendment. It's not easy to prove; real harm must be shown. Nobody took Elon's insult seriously, nobody cared about it, and Unsworth might even have capitalized on it in ways other than attempting a shakedown. Hence the jury--and LA juries have no love for the rich--lost no time in making the correct decision. 

 

So Unsworth's made it a lot harder for himself to laugh off that insult now that his case has backfired. Maybe start selling "Pedo Guy" mugs and make a few "bob" that way. Anyway, we may hope that both men have learned a bit more restraint.

[ftpjtm]

5 hours ago, sunnyboy2018 said:

Elon still faces legal action in Thailand and The UK.

Musk is well loved by the Chinese and has all the money in the world to defend himself. He'll slip out of a Thai court like a guy in Teflon coated armor.

 

More interesting to see what happens in the UK. If I were Musk I'd settle that one out of court. 

[Lacessit]

1 minute ago, BigStar said:

Unsworth, not to mention his defenders here on this topic, simply had the wrong definition of pedo guy. Look it up:

 

pedo guy

An abbreviation of the word torpedo, pedo is a term of endearment often used by business magnates, investors and engineers, for a fast and excellent swimmer or diver. Sometimes, divers in Thailand who rescue young soccer teams from caves believe it means pedophile, but that's not the case.

PERSON 1: “Sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it.”
PERSON 2: "Did you just call me a pedophile?"
PERSON 1: No, it's short for torpedo. You swim really fast."
PERSON 2: "Oh my bad. And thank you. You are a true gentleman."
PERSON 1: "And you, sir, are a true pedo."

by ElonM July 18, 2018

 

A few more definitions at https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pedo guy.

 

And our members, perhaps going more by English law, don't understand the legal standards to be met for a successful defamation suit in the USA, with its free speech amendment. It's not easy to prove; real harm must be shown. Nobody took Elon's insult seriously, nobody cared about it, and Unsworth might even have capitalized on it in ways other than attempting a shakedown. Hence the jury--and LA juries have no love for the rich--lost no time in making the correct decision. 

 

So Unsworth's made it a lot harder for himself to laugh off that insult now that his case has backfired. Maybe start selling "Pedo Guy" mugs and make a few "bob" that way. Anyway, we may hope that both men have learned a bit more restraint.

IMO if Unsworth had asked for a million, the result could well have been different.

Permit me to doubt Musk has learned restraint. His whole history says otherwise.

[zydeco]

The jury essentially agreed that calling Unsworth a "pedo" was just twitter banter. Not something to get upset about. Frankly even calling someone that in public face to face wouldn't have gotten Unsworth anything either. Granted, he could have hit Musk and had no repercussions ("fighting words") but he was never going to get a penny out of this. Unsworth looks like a fool. Had he just let this go in the first place, hardly anyone would have noticed and "pedo guy" wouldn't have become a worldwide moniker known to tens perhaps hundreds of millions. When should we expect Unsworth's Hundred Nation "I'm not a Pedo Guy" World Tour?

[gamini]

6 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

This is just wrong.

 

I know that both sides do share some blame, but labeling a guy 'Pedo' on a public forum for no good reason should not be allowed.

 

I am a fan of Elon most of the time, but not at this time.

 

Hey Elon! Do the right thing and cut this guy a cheque for all his attorney's fees; you are a multi-billionaire and it is (literally!) the least that you can do.

 

 

I have no sympathy for the greedy low life foul mouthed guy. Musk spent millions of baht trying to help as well his valuable time. It made my day when I heard that he had lost the case.

[khunPer]

Didn't we read in the news long time ago that Unsworth was asking $75,000 in compensation?

 

Quote

Unsworth is seeking at least $75,000 of compensatory damages plus unspecified punitive damages in his complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.
Source: Reuters September 17, 2018 "Tesla's Musk is sued for calling Thai cave rescuer pedophile".

I surprised to read $190 million, it's way out of proportion and unfortunately smells of gaining money – the US law firm probably get half – which seems to move the case away from the original defamation claim.

[PaDavid]

6 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

This is just wrong.

 

I know that both sides do share some blame, but labeling a guy 'Pedo' on a public forum for no good reason should not be allowed.

 

I am a fan of Elon most of the time, but not at this time.

 

Hey Elon! Do the right thing and cut this guy a cheque for all his attorney's fees; you are a multi-billionaire and it is (literally!) the least that you can do.

 

 

I imagine his solicitor was on a no win no fee basis