Austin Judge Orders Elon Musk to Testify Under Oath in $1M Voter Giveaway Lawsuits
An Austin federal magistrate judge has ordered Elon Musk to answer questions under oath in two proposed class-action lawsuits accusing him and America PAC of misleading voters over a $1 million-a-day giveaway tied to the 2024 election.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan Hightower ordered Musk to testify and also recommended that a fraud claim proceed in one of the lawsuits, while a related breach-of-contract claim should be dismissed, Reuters reported. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman will review that recommendation.
The plaintiffs, Joy Harvick and Jacqueline McAferty, both from Arizona, allege that Musk and America PAC misled voters in seven swing states by saying $1 million recipients would be chosen randomly from people who signed a petition supporting the U.S. Constitution.
The legal consequence is straightforward. Musk’s sworn testimony could help determine whether the fraud claims survive and how courts treat political giveaways that collect voter information while using lottery-style language.
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The central dispute is the word “randomly.” Prior reporting showed America PAC’s position was that the recipients were not chosen by chance but selected as paid spokespeople for the pro-Trump political group.
That defense matters because earlier litigation over the giveaway focused partly on whether the program was an illegal lottery. The Associated Press reported in 2024 that Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner sued over the giveaway, alleging deception and illegal lottery violations, while Musk’s side cast the payments as compensation for spokespeople.
The new Austin order has also drawn visible social reaction. A r/Austin post sharing the story showed more than 1,000 votes and dozens of comments, while other social posts framed the case around whether Musk’s public language matched the PAC’s internal handling of the program.
Musk’s lawyers did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
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