Court orders and legal announcements

Judge Puts Philadelphia DA Krasner's Lawsuit Against Musk's $1 Million-a-Day Voter Giveaway on Hold

Oct 31, 2024, 01:08 PM

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has filed a lawsuit seeking to halt Elon Musk's $1 million-a-day voter giveaway organized through his political action committee, America PAC, which is backing Donald Trump in the upcoming November 5 presidential election. The giveaway offers registered voters in swing states a chance to win $1 million if they sign a petition supporting freedom of speech and the right to bear arms. Krasner alleges that the sweepstakes is an illegal lottery under Pennsylvania law, violates state consumer protection laws, and is an attempt to influence voters. A hearing was scheduled before Judge Angelo Foglietta, who ordered Musk to appear in a Philadelphia court. Musk's attorneys attempted to move the case to federal court, which put the state court proceedings on hold. Musk did not appear at the scheduled court hearing, and the judge declined to block the giveaway pending the transfer to federal court. The giveaway has already attracted over 280,000 Pennsylvania participants. Krasner reported receiving an 'avalanche' of antisemitic and inflammatory messages after Musk amplified a post about the case on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, which Musk owns. Krasner requested enhanced security and a change of venue for the hearing due to concerns over political violence. As of the latest reports, America PAC claims to have mailed out over 87,000 checks to people who secured signatures from registered swing state voters, and the giveaway continues.