The
"It was wrong and insulting, so I insulted him back," the billionaire said in federal court in
Unsworth's lawyers argue that Musk's tweet overshadowed what should have been one of the diver's proudest moments and left him no choice but to sue.
At the time, Musk said he didn't know Unsworth had helped with the rescue. He said his tweet wasn't intended as an actual allegation.
"Just as I hadn't literally meant he was a pedophile, he didn't want to shove a sub up my ass," Musk said, provoking snickers in the courtroom.
Unsworth is seeking unspecified damages for pain, suffering and emotional distress. The defense has resisted efforts to turn over documents showing Musk's wealth but says his net worth exceeds
Musk's lawyer,
The shame and mortification Unsworth said he experienced is undercut by the attention he received after the rescue, Spiro said, including honors from the Thai king and British prime minister and offers from agents and film crews.
"There's a little more to this Twitter insult, and you'll hear it," Spiro told jurors.
Musk has apologized for lashing out at Unsworth and removed his tweet, but he also has defended using the phrase.
"'Pedo guy' was a common insult used in
Unsworth's lawyers laughed off that explanation, saying Musk responded to a question about whether he had accused Unsworth of being a pedophile with another tweet that said, "Bet ya a signed dollar it's true."
The diver's lawyers also said Musk hired private investigators to dig up evidence Unsworth was a child molester, which they never found.
Musk suggested in emails to BuzzFeed that Unsworth was a "child rapist" and had moved to northern
The lawsuit is not the first time Musk's tweets have landed him in hot water.
Musk and
He went back to court on accusations he violated that agreement by tweeting a misleading figure about how many cars
The cave drama played out for more than two weeks in summer 2018.
Musk and engineers from his
Unsworth, a diver and caving expert whose advice was considered crucial in the rescue operation, said the sub would never have fit in the cave.
© Pakistan Press International, source