Billionaire Elon Musk is facing a lawsuit initiated by voter Jacqueline McAferty, accusing him and the America PAC Political Action Committee of defrauding people in the final stages of the 2024 US presidential election.
According to the lawsuit, Ms. McAferty said that Musk and America PAC lured voters in seven battleground states to sign a petition supporting the US Constitution by promising to randomly select a receiver worth $1 million a day. However, in reality, participants do not have the opportunity to receive money as a lottery, but are required to provide names, addresses, emails and phone numbers.
Mr. Musk founded America PAC to support Republican candidate Donald Trump in the 2024 election. The plaintiff said that voters' personal data is of great value in political activities and that its illegal collection has caused them losses.
In an attempt to dismiss the lawsuit, Musk argued that the warning signs show that the program is not an illegal lottery. He cited statements that the recipient of the $1 million would be chosen to make money and would have to become a spokesperson for America PAC, so this cannot be considered an award. However, judge Robert Pitman pointed out that many other statements described the amount as a reward that could be won, giving voters the impression that they were participating in a random draw.
Judge Pitman, appointed in 2014, also said that a political data expert can determine the value of the personal information that voters provide in battleground states. He stressed that Ms. McAferty's accusations were "reasonable and well-founded".
