Yahoo Autos Elon Musk should pay $190 million for defamatory 'nuclear bomb,' plaintiff's lawyer says
LOS ANGELES — Tesla founder Elon Musk should pay at least $190 million in damages for defaming a British cave explorer in tweets that suggested he was a pedophile and were like a "nuclear bomb," the plaintiff's lawyer said on Friday.
In his closing argument at Musk's defamation trial, the lawyer for Vernon Unsworth said his client would feel the sting from Musk's calling him a "pedo guy" for many years to come, affecting his relationships and job prospects, and jurors should teach the "billionaire bully" a lesson.
At least $150 million of the proposed payout would be punitive damages, which Unsworth's lawyer L. Lin Wood said "would be a hard slap on the wrist" for Musk, who during the trial estimated his own net worth at $20 billion.
"He dropped a nuclear bomb on Vernon Unsworth," Wood said, referring to Musk.
A lawyer for Musk will also deliver a closing argument on Friday and the three-man, five-woman jury may begin deliberating later in the day. The trial in federal court in Los Angeles began on Tuesday.
The case is believed to be the first major defamation lawsuit by a private individual to go to trial over tweets.
Musk could appeal if the jury finds him liable or imposes a large damages award.
Unsworth gained fame when he helped coordinate the rescue of a boys' soccer team and its coach from a flooded Thailand cave, which was completed successfully on July 10, 2018.
