Billionaire Elon Musk's attorneys want a federal court to address a complaint from Philadelphia's District Attorney over Musk's super PAC's giveaway.

Despite a judge’s order that “all parties must be present,” Tesla founder, X owner and billionaire Elon Musk did not appear in a Philadelphia courtroom Thursday after District Attorney Larry Krasner sued him over his super PAC’s plan to award $1 million a day to voters in key battleground states in the 2024 election.

Krasner and members of his office joined attorneys for Musk in Judge Angelo Foglietta’s civil courtroom at City Hall for a hearing Thursday at 10 a.m. ET.

Musk’s attorneys filed documents Wednesday night in the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, a federal court, requesting the matter be moved to their jurisdiction – and out of the local Court of Common Pleas. A judge granted that transfer.

Attorneys for Krasner said they would contest that recommendation.

  • FlowVoid@lemmy.worldEnglish
    591·
    9 days ago
    • This is a lawsuit, not criminal charges. It could be bad for Musk (see: Engoron decision) but there is no risk of arrest or jail. Yet.
    • Defendants who lose lawsuits cannot be pardoned. Only criminal charges can be pardoned.
    • “All parties must be present” means someone on the defendant’s side must be present. It is not unusual for only the lawyer(s) to attend.
    • The case has been moved to federal court for now. But it could be moved back if the federal court decides it belongs in state court.
      • dev_null@lemmy.ml
        14·
        9 days ago

        His lawyers showed up, which fulfills “all parties must be present”, as the defense was present.

        It’s clickbait, Musk wasn’t required to show up personally.

      • FlowVoid@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        9 days ago

        Summary judgment just means neither side needs to call witnesses or engage in discovery.

        I’m not sure that applies here, but if so it doesn’t necessarily favor the DA.

  • gsfraley@lemmy.world
    582·
    9 days ago

    More proof that billionaires are treated like a special class that the law can’t touch. Cool.

    • octopus_ink@lemmy.mlEnglish
      25·
      9 days ago

      After all the slaps on the wrist Trump has received for various things that would either bankrupt most people or land them in jail, I don’t know if I’ve got room in the cart for another of these examples.

      • ShinkanTrain@lemmy.mlEnglish
        13·
        9 days ago

        Look, he hangs around billionaires because he’s also a rapist and a leech but he’s not a billionaire.

        Not granted the rank of master and all that.

      • Hobthrob@lemmy.world
        8·
        9 days ago

        Presumably because mania is a key part of the cult, and many portrayals in media use the behavioural signs of mania to convey evil.

        Although I’m sure plenty of people might look a little manic if they were pictured while handed a lot of money with a big debacle made out of it.

              • Altomes@lemm.ee
                5·
                9 days ago

                No problem, its actually chemically similar to MDMA, which is euphoric and beautiful, the colours are brighter, the food tastes better, music sounds amazing, you feel no need to sleep, but obviously after 4-5 days of that it gets to be unnerving, you can begin to get irritable and begin making poor choices. Its honestly sometimes the best and worst times of my life.

                Fun anecdote I once was manic I became so confused that I convinced myself LSD would cure depression and wound up taking close to 2000 tabs over the course of 4 months. Just wild

      • vxx@lemmy.world
        5·
        9 days ago

        It’s the eyes. It’s the emptiness you see when Jehovas Whitnesses knock on your door.

        • vxx@lemmy.world
          6·
          9 days ago

          He dresses as baphomet that is depicted to have a beard and female breasts, while spouting hate against transgender persons all day?

  • Nougat@fedia.io
    4·
    9 days ago

    Musk’s attorneys filed documents Wednesday night in the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, a federal court, requesting the matter be moved to their jurisdiction – and out of the local Court of Common Pleas. A judge granted that transfer.

    What? Why?

    I know that the motion was made on the basis that the PAC is “registered as a federal organization, and so is not bound by state laws,” but that can’t be a legitimate thing … can it? The inside-out and backwards sovcit thing can’t have worked, right?

    • BalooWasWahoo@links.hackliberty.org
      1·
      9 days ago

      It shouldn’t, barring strange laws. Most states set jurisdiction by whether an action occurred in their territory, or if it affected something inside of their territory (so prosecuting a pedophile from somewhere else who was trying to lure a child in the state prosecuting). A report from another news agency in Chicago says the state court’s judge merely put the case on hold and the federal judge has just taken the petition from musky and the counterargument from the state prosecutors, and now has asked for a response from musky; so it hasn’t actually been moved yet.

  • MyOpinion@lemm.ee
    31·
    9 days ago

    Seriously put this MF in jail right now. Send SWAT to his home and drag his ass to jail. Enough is enough these rich people are just ignoring judges now.

    • dev_null@lemmy.ml
      4·
      9 days ago

      His lawyers were there, and so the defense party was there. He wasn’t required to be there, contrary to what the post tries to imply.

    • dev_null@lemmy.ml
      2·
      9 days ago

      No, because he wasn’t required to show up. The defense was required to show up, and it did, as Musk’s lawyers were present. The post is just clickbait trying to make you think he was required to show up.

      And it’s a lawsuit, not a criminal charge, so no jail time is in the cards, sadly, no matter how hard he loses.

    • Atom@lemmy.world
      2·
      9 days ago

      Musk’s attorneys filed documents Wednesday night in the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, a federal court, requesting the matter be moved to their jurisdiction

      Yep, he’s get these charges moved from State to Federal court so Trump can pardon him.

      • LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world
        1·
        9 days ago

        Think this qualifies as a civil suit, not criminal as it is the DA sueing him. Theyby nothing can be pardoned. It will likely be thrown out or some shit. He’ll get away with it as always

      • 5oap10116@lemmy.world
        1·
        9 days ago

        Excuse me, my crimes obviously involved interstate commerce so that I could get charged federally.

    • dev_null@lemmy.ml
      1·
      9 days ago

      You can’t be pardoned from a lawsuit. This is not a criminal case, just Musk getting sued, which you can’t get out of with a pardon.