Elon Musk was ordered to appear in a Philadelphia courtroom this morning to hear a civil lawsuit filed against him and his political action committee by the Philadelphia district attorney.
The lawsuit, filed Monday, seeks to block Musk’s $1 million-a-day lottery ticket for voters in swing states.
It was not immediately clear whether Musk would personally attend the hearing despite the court order. Defendants in civil cases do not necessarily have to attend the hearing as long as an attorney is present. NBC News has reached out to Musk’s attorney for comment.
With or without Mr. Musk, a judge this morning asked the Philadelphia region to immediately block the daily giveaway on the grounds that Mr. Musk and the America PAC he founded earlier this year are operating an illegal lottery. The case will hear arguments from prosecutor Larry Krasner.
“America PAC and Musk deceived the citizens of Philadelphia, as well as the rest of the commonwealth (and other battleground states in the upcoming election), into giving up personal identifying information and political “We are encouraging them to make public commitments.” An attorney representing Krasner wrote in Monday’s complaint. “It’s a lottery.”
The daily drawing is open to registered voters in seven battleground states who have signed a petition pledging support for the First and Second Amendments. America PAC tallies winners by top petitions and X. There have been 12 winners so far, four of them in Pennsylvania.
“The America PAC and Musk Lottery is clearly not a legitimate lottery,” the complaint continues. “Furthermore, based on clear Pennsylvania law, the Pennsylvania Legislature declares illegal lotteries to be a public ‘nuisance’ and asks law enforcement officials like Attorney Krasner to seek injunctions in court to stop them. I gave you authority.”
The complaint also alleges that Musk and America PAC failed to disclose exactly how the personal information of petition signers was protected or how winners were selected, resulting in the Pennsylvania Consumer Protection Act. They are accused of violating the law.
“While Mr. Musk says the selection of winners was ‘random,’ that appears to be false as multiple winners chosen were individuals who showed up at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania,” the complaint states. claims.
Today’s hearing was originally scheduled for tomorrow, but after Krasner requested additional security measures due to anti-Semitic comments and threats posted on X in response to Musk’s posts about the lawsuit. It was brought forward with less than 24 hours notice.
At least one account posted Krasner’s home address and wrote, “Mr. Krasner loves visitors. Please wear a mask and leave all cell phones at home.”
