LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A judge ruled today that a defamation lawsuit involving Tesla CEO Elon Musk and a British cave diver will go forward in Los Angeles federal court.
Vern Unsworth filed suit last year after Musk called him a ``pedo guy'' on Twitter and referred to him as a ``child rapist'' who married a 12- year-old girl in emails to a BuzzFeed reporter.
U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson rejected Musk's motion for early judgment as to Unsworth's claims, telling attorneys that ``malice'' would play a part in the trial set for Dec. 3 in downtown Los Angeles. A pretrial conference was scheduled for Nov. 25.
Musk's tweet came after an interview in which Unsworth, who was part of the 2018 rescue of a youth soccer team and its coach from a cave in Thailand, criticized the miniature submarine the tech tycoon sent to help with the rescue, calling the effort a publicity stunt.
The lawsuit seeks more than $75,000 in damages and a judge's order stopping Musk from making further allegations.