Elon Musk fails to appear at Philadelphia hearing on super PAC’s $1 million lottery for voters

Despite a judge’s order that “all parties must be present,” Tesla founder, X owner and billionaire Elon Musk said The following Thursday, he failed to appear in a Philadelphia courtroom District Attorney Larry Krasner sued him over his super PACs plan to distribute $1 million a day to voters in key battleground states in the 2024 election.

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

Musk’s lawyers filed documents in the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, a federal court, on Wednesday evening, requesting that the matter be moved to their jurisdiction – rather than to the local Court of Common Pleas. A judge granted this transfer. But Krasner’s lawyers disputed that recommendation.

Later Thursday, a federal judge ordered Musk’s legal team to file a response to Krasner’s request to send the matter back to state court. The order states that this must be done by 10 a.m. Friday.

“We will go to the federal court and clarify the issues there and try to refer the matter back to the state court. “After all, this is a case involving federal legal issues, and I’ll leave it at that,” John Summers, an attorney for Krasner, said.

Musk, who campaigned with former President Donald Trumphas donated tens of millions of dollars to America PAC, a super PAC formed this summer to support the Republican candidate.

The lottery prize will go to those who sign a petition asking voters to support free speech and the right to bear arms. According to the super PAC’s website, at least 12 people have received $1 million in awards, including four from Pennsylvania.

“The Philadelphia District Attorney is charged with protecting the public from public nuisances and unfair trade practices, including illegal lotteries. “The Attorney General is also charged with protecting the public from interference with the integrity of elections,” Krasner said in a statement after the civil lawsuit was announced.

Days before Krasner filed the lawsuit, the Justice Department sent a letter to the super PAC warning that it may be violating federal laws governing voter pay.