Philadelphia Judge Orders Elon Musk To Attend Court Over $1 million Giveaway

A judge has summoned all involved parties, including Elon Musk, to an emergency court hearing in Philadelphia on Thursday to address a lawsuit aimed at blocking Tesla CEO's political action committee from distributing $1 million to registered voters in Pennsylvania before the Nov. 5 U.S. election.

The Philadelphia District Attorney (DA) Larry Krasner's Office filed a lawsuit early this week against Musk's America PAC, which supports former Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, calling the giveaway an "illegal lottery" that encouraged Pennsylvania residents to share their personal information, Reuters reported.

In a court filing, Wednesday, lawyers for the DA requested the presence of all parties, including Krasner, a representative of America PAC and Musk.

Hours after the filing, Judge Angelo Foglietta advanced the hearing, which was originally scheduled for Friday, to a day earlier on Thursday. "It is further ordered that all parties must be present at the time of the hearing," Foglietta stated in the order in Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas.

According to the filing on Wednesday, Krasner claimed that his lawsuit has led to the billionaire's followers launching antisemitic attacks against him online, CNBC reported.

The DA's lawyers also noted that Musk agreed with an X user's claim that the district attorney knows the $1 million daily giveaway "isn't illegal but wants a leftist judge to block it before Election Day."

The lawyers have requested increased security on the hearing day after an X account shared the prosecutor's home address with the message: "Krasner loves visitors. Mask up and leave all cellphones at home." X removed the post later.

The DA's lawsuit claims the lottery is "deceptive" to consumers because America PAC has failed to explain how it will safeguard participants' personal information. Additionally, the suit points out to Musk's assertion that the lottery winner selection is "random" is misleading as many of the selected winners have been individuals who attended Trump rallies in Pennsylvania.

The lawsuit alleges that Musk and the PAC are attempting to sway voters in the presidential election between Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Trump, which is expected to be a tight contest.

Musk has promised to give away $1 million every day to anyone who signed his online petition for free speech and gun rights. The U.S. Justice Department has already sent a letter to America PAC warning that the billionaire's giveaways to registered voters who sign his petition could violate federal law.

Legal experts have, however, differed on whether the giveaway violates federal laws that make it illegal to pay someone to register to vote.

The Trump campaign depends heavily on outside groups for voter outreach, with the PAC playing a key role. According to federal disclosures, Musk has contributed at least $75 million to America PAC.