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Elon Musk
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Elon Musk must face lawsuit claiming he ran illegal US$1 million election lottery

The Tesla CEO is accused of defrauding voters into signing a petition to support the US Constitution during Trump’s 2024 election campaign

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Elon Musk speaks during Donald Trump’s inaugural parade inside Capitol One Arena in Washington on January 20. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS
Reuters

Elon Musk was ordered on Wednesday by a federal judge to face a lawsuit by voters accusing the world’s richest person of defrauding them into signing a petition to support the US Constitution for a chance to win his US$1 million-a-day giveaway.

US District Judge Robert Pitman in Austin, Texas, said Jacqueline McAferty plausibly alleged in her proposed class action that Musk and his political action committee America PAC wrongly induced her to provide personal identifying information as part of the giveaway, late in the 2024 election campaign.
Lawyers for Musk and America PAC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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Musk founded America PAC to support Republican Donald Trump’s successful 2024 presidential run.

McAferty, an Arizona resident, said Musk and America PAC induced voters in seven battleground states to sign his petition by promising that US$1 million recipients would be chosen randomly, as in a lottery, though the voters had no real chance to collect.

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She said voters who signed were also required to provide names, addresses, email addresses and phone numbers.

In seeking a dismissal, Musk listed several “red flags” as proof he had not run an illegal lottery.

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