Billionaire Elon Musk a no-show in court over million-dollar giveaway set up to support Donald Trump
Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk on stage with Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania last month.
In short:
Elon Musk did not attend a court hearing over shutting down his controversial lottery.
America PAC has given away $US1 million daily to a registered voter who has signed a petition.
What's next?
The matter is on hold in Philadelphia while the federal court is considering whether to take on the case.
A legal challenge against Elon Musk's controversial million-dollar giveaway has been put on hold after a court hearing in which the billionaire failed to appear.
Philadelphia's district attorney Larry Krasner, a Democrat, is trying to shut down the lottery being run by America PAC, a political action committee set up by Mr Musk to support Donald Trump's election campaign.
America PAC has been giving away $US1 million ($1.5 million) per day to registered voters in key swing states who sign a petition in support of the first and second amendments of the US constitution.
Some election experts have argued it violates federal prohibitions on people being paid to either register to vote or cast a ballot.
But Mr Krasner is suing under Pennsylvania law, accusing America PAC of breaching the state's lottery and consumer protection rules.
All parties, including Mr Musk, were ordered to appear at a court hearing in Philadelphia on Thursday morning local time.
But as the hearing got underway, Mr Krasner's lawyer, John Summers, made a show of looking around the room for the Telsa CEO.
Matthew Haverstick, who was representing both Mr Musk and America PAC, argued the political action committee should have been the only defendant to the case and that Mr Musk had been named as a publicity stunt.
"Pantomime aside, we all know he's a busy man who cannot just materialise on 12 hours' notice," he told the court.
Mr Summers scoffed at that argument, pointing to Mr Musk's SpaceX company as an example of his resources.
"I think I just heard counsel for Mr Musk say that the richest man in the world, in the universe… that he can't just materialise on 12 hours' notice," Mr Summers said.
"C'mon," Judge Angelo Foglietta interrupted. "He's not going to get in a rocket ship and take it to Philadelphia — let's be serious here."
"If anyone could land a rocket ship in Philadelphia, it's Elon Musk," Mr Summers quipped.
Mr Musk's lawyers are trying to have the case moved to federal court. Judge Foglietta put the matter on hold while that court considers whether to take it up.
Musk a key Trump supporter
Mr Musk has emerged as one of Donald Trump's most powerful and high-profile allies in this election campaign.
He's attended rallies alongside the former president and conducted his own speaking tour, during which he used a novelty cheque to personally announce the winner of the first million-dollar prize.
Mr Summers questioned how the lottery winners were being chosen, saying four of the 12 recipients so far had been residents of Pennsylvania.
The state, which carries a hefty 19 electoral college votes, is considered a must-win for either Trump or vice-president Kamala Harris to claim the White House.
"Is it just a coincidence?" Mr Summers asked the court. "I don't think so."
The giveaways have continued despite the legal challenge, and a woman from North Carolina was named as the latest winner on the morning of the court hearing.
Mr Musk hasn't commented directly on the court case but has been posting on X throughout the day – including tweeting his congratulations to the previous day's winner.
It's not yet clear if or when the case could come before the federal court, but time is running out for Philadelphia officials to try to halt the lottery.
Mr Musk has said it would be running until election day, on Tuesday, local time.
By：ABC(责任编辑：admin)
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