Philadelphia: Billionaire Elon Musk avoided a Philadelphia court appearance on Thursday, opting to request a federal court transfer of a lawsuit challenging his $1 million voter giveaway initiative. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO had been ordered to attend by a Pennsylvania judge but argued that the case, which involves voter registration giveaways, falls under federal jurisdiction.
The lawsuit, filed by Philadelphia’s District Attorney Larry Krasner, claims Musk’s pro-Trump America PAC sweepstakes violates state laws by allegedly incentivizing voter registration as an “illegal lottery.” The Justice Department had warned Musk and his PAC that the sweepstakes could be in breach of federal law prohibiting financial incentives for voter registration.
Musk’s attorney, John Summers, confirmed the transfer request, stating, “We will address the issues in federal court and seek to have the case returned to state court.” America PAC’s website lists 13 winners of the $1 million awards, including four from Pennsylvania.
Musk, who previously backed Obama, has since shifted his support to Donald Trump, even hosting town halls in battleground Pennsylvania and amplifying Trump’s campaign to his 202 million followers on X. Musk’s political action committee has raised over $118 million, solidifying his influence on the upcoming election.