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Did Elon Musk, world's richest person, scam US voters with illegal lottery? Billionaire reacts
A lawsuit filed on US election Day claimed Musk and his political action committee falsely induced voters in seven US states to sign the petition
Elon Musk has asked a US federal judge to dismiss a proposed class action lawsuit which claims he defrauded voters into signing a petition supporting the Constitution for a chance to win his $1 million-a-day giveaway, news agency Reuters reported.
Musk, however, rejected the claim that his giveaway was an illegal lottery which violates a Texas law against deceptive trade practices, according to the report which cited an Austin, Texas federal court filing.
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Elon Musk is currently the world's richest person with a net worth of $434 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
In the lawsuit filed on US election Day, November 5, 2024, Arizona resident Jacqueline McAferty had claimed Musk and his political action committee America PAC falsely induced voters in seven US states to sign the petition with a promise that winners would be chosen randomly, the report read.
McAferty's lawsuit seeks at least $5 million in damages for all of those who signed the petition.
However, Musk claimed voters were told that they would be reviewed for an opportunity to earn $1 million by becoming America PAC spokespeople, and that the money was not a "prize" to be won.
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"Make no mistake: an eligible voter's opportunity to earn is not the same thing as a chance to win," the report quoted Musk as having said. Chance, he added, "was not involved here."
Musk founded the America PAC as a bid to to support Republican candidate Donald Trump, who has since won, and is now the 47th President of the United States.
Apart from this, Musk also dismissed claims that those who signed the petition suffered harm since they provided their names, addresses and phone numbers, which the lawsuit suggested Musk and America PAC could then sell.
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A day before this, a Philadelphia judge refused to end Musk's giveaway, saying that city's top prosecutor also failed to show it was an illegal lottery.
Musk is also a Texas resident and his electric vehicle (EV) company Tesla is based in Austin.
