Musk Settles Lawsuits Over $1 Million Voter Giveaway
Elon Musk has agreed to settle two fraud lawsuits challenging his 2024 promise to award $1 million daily to registered voters in swing states.
What happened
In 2024, Elon Musk announced a plan to give away $1 million daily to randomly selected registered voters in swing states. Two Arizona residents filed lawsuits claiming the lottery was fraudulent, and Philadelphia's District Attorney sued claiming that Musk was running an illegal lottery. During a court hearing, a representative for Musk's America PAC testified that recipients were not chosen by chance and that the organization knew in advance who would be announced as winners—directly contradicting Musk's public claim of randomness. Musk has now agreed to settle the two lawsuits filed in Austin, Texas, though settlement terms remain undisclosed.
Context
The giveaway raised legal and regulatory concerns about whether it constituted an illegal lottery. The plaintiffs claim that Musk falsely stated the prizes would be awarded randomly. They say they never would have signed the petition required to enter the giveaway if they had known it wasn't random. The plaintiffs also allege the petition was used to harvest personal data for America PAC with minimal restrictions or transparency regarding its use or potential sale. The settlement's undisclosed terms leave unresolved the question of whether Musk or America PAC will face substantive consequences or restrictions on similar future activities.