A Pennsylvania district court judge has ruled against Elon Musk in his efforts to have his $1 million giveaway lawsuit moved to federal court.
Judge Gerald J. Pappert remanded the lawsuit filed by Philadelphia’s district attorney back to the state’s Common Please Court on Friday, following the billionaire’s legal attempts to have the suit moved earlier in the week.
DA Larry Krasner filed the civil suit against Musk on Monday on the basis that America PAC’s “Petition in Favor of Free Speech and the Right to Bear Arms” violates Pennsylvania’s Lottery Law and Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, according to documents obtained by TheWrap. Krasner seeks to end the promotion.
The Justice Department similarly warned Musk in a letter last week that the giveaway could violate federal law.
Musk previously promised to give $1 million per day to a registered voter who signed the above petition in support of GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.
America PAC’s first winner was awarded a giant lottery-style check at a Pennsylvania town hall two weekends ago, and there have been other winners since. One of Musk’s pinned posts on X (formerly Twitter) included a North Carolina man with his winnings.
The petition targets voters in swing states — including Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania — with Republican, Democratic and independent voters all eligible to win, as long as they are registered to vote.
The 2024 Election Day is now just four days away.
Reuters was first to report the news.
