Lawsuit against Elon Musk for $1 million giveaways resumes in Philadelphia

Musk’s request was rejected by a federal judge on Friday after he pushed to move the lawsuit by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner to federal court. Krasner filed a lawsuit against Musk and his America PAC last week, arguing the giveaways for people who registered to vote amounts to an illegal lottery scheme.

Since Oct. 19, Musk has been handing out a $1 million check each day to randomly selected voters who signed a petition and registered to vote in the November election. So far, the PAC has awarded the prize to 16 people and has said the final prize will be awarded on Nov. 5, Election Day.

Krasner’s lawsuit disputes the randomness of the selection process, arguing in court papers that the winners are “not actually chosen at random,” relying on anecdotes such as two recipients having previously attended two rallies for former President Donald Trump.

The giveaways have divided legal experts who have raised concerns that they fall into a murky category of election law, with some pondering whether Musk could be violating federal laws against paying people to register to vote. The Justice Department reportedly sent a letter to Musk warning the giveaways may violate federal law, but federal prosecutors have so far not taken action.

Musk, the wealthiest man in the world, has given around $120 million to America PAC, according to federal disclosure records.

The Trump campaign has been boosted by Musk’s recent campaigning for the former president’s reelection bid. Musk has spent much of his time urging voters in Pennsylvania to get registered.

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David Gelman, a former prosecutor and a Trump campaign legal surrogate, told the Washington Examiner the civil lawsuit is “politically motivated” and “has no merit.”

It was not clear whether Musk would be in attendance on Monday.