A British diver who helped rescue youth soccer players trapped in a cave in Thailand is suing Elon Musk, saying that the Tesla chief executive officer falsely accused him of being a pedophile.
Diver Vernon Unsworth, who lives north of London, contends that Musk made the false allegation on Twitter and then repeated multiple other falsehoods after the dramatic rescue of a dozen youth soccer players and their coach in July.
The lawsuit filed on Monday in a Los Angeles federal court seeks more than US$75,000 in damages and a court order stopping Musk from making further allegations.
Musk called Unsworth a “pedo” in a tweet to his 22.5 million followers after Unsworth criticized him in a July 13 television interview with CNN about the rescue operation.
Musk and engineers from his rocket company, SpaceX, built a small submarine and shipped it to Thailand to help with the rescue.
The device was not used and in the interview, Unsworth called it a “PR stunt” and said Musk “can stick his submarine somewhere where it hurts.”
The lawsuit alleges that Musk, apparently angered by Unsworth’s remarks, began a campaign to destroy his reputation “by publishing false and heinous accusations of criminality against him to the public.”
In a series of tweets on July 15, Musk, who personally delivered the submarine to the cave, wrote that he never saw Unsworth and challenged him to show a video of the final rescue.
“Sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it,” Musk tweeted.
Later on Twitter, Musk wrote: “Bet ya a signed dollar it’s true.”
Later Musk deleted the tweets and apologized after being criticized by shareholders, the lawsuit said.
However, on Aug. 28, Musk tweeted about Unsworth once again, writing: “You don’t think it’s strange he hasn’t sued me? He was offered free legal services.”
The lawsuit states that with the tweet, Musk sought to tell the average reader that Unsworth’s failure to sue at the time was evidence that Unsworth is a pedophile.
Two days later, Musk e-mailed a BuzzFeed News reporter, suggesting that the reporter investigate Unsworth and “stop defending child rapists,” according to the lawsuit, which is 65 pages with exhibits.
“He’s an old, single white guy from England who’s been traveling or living in Thailand for 30 to 40 years,” Musk wrote, adding that Unsworth moved in Thailand “for a child bride who was about 12 years old at the time,” according to the lawsuit.
“Mr Unsworth is not a pedophile. Mr Unsworth has never engaged in an act of pedophilia. Mr Unsworth is not a child rapist,” the lawsuit stated, adding that Unsworth has never been married to a minor.
Unsworth has a “significant other” in Thailand, a 40-year-old woman with whom he shares a house, according to the lawsuit.
On June 23, when the soccer players became trapped, several Thai officials called and asked him to go to the cave as soon as possible, the documents stated.
He was the first foreign rescuer to arrive, they said.
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