Elon Musk is being sued for defamation by the diver in the Thai soccer team rescue that the Tesla founder publicly feuded with and called a "child rapist."

According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Vernon Unsworth filed the massive lawsuit today in Los Angeles federal court.

In a series of tweets in July, Musk called Unsworth a "pedo guy" after he criticized Musk's attempt to help rescue 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave.

Musk also emailed BuzzFeed News and referred to Unsworth as a "child rapist" who had moved to Thailand to take a child bride.

In the documents, Unsworth maintains he has "never engaged in an act of pedophilia" and is "not a child rapist." He also says he never lived in Thailand with a 12-year-old bride.



TheBlast.com

Unsworth maintains, "The False and Defamatory Accusations were manufactured out of whole cloth by Musk out of a belief on his part that his wealth and stature allowed him to falsely accuse Mr. Unsworth with impunity."

He is suing for defamation and is seeking damages in excess of $75,000.

Unsworth's attorney, L. Lin Wood, tells The Blast, "Elon Musk falsely accused Vern Unsworth of being guilty of heinous crimes. Musk’s influence and wealth cannot convert his lies into truth or protect him from accountability for his wrongdoing in a court of law."

The Blast reached out to Musk for comment — so far, no word back.