Tesla Chief Executive <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pedo-guy-tweet-not-meant-to-be-taken-literally-elon-musk-266052">Elon Musk</a> was due to resume testifying in his own defense on Wednesday at the trial for a defamation lawsuit filed by a British diver whom the Silicon Valley billionaire called "pedo guy" on Twitter.

Musk, the 48-year-old South African-born entrepreneur, apologized for the tweet during his first day on the witness stand in US&nbsp;District Court in Los Angeles on Tuesday, saying he was responding to an "unprovoked" insult by plaintiff Vernon Unsworth.

Unsworth was leading a rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave in Thailand last year when he mocked Musk's offer of a mini-submersible as a public relations stunt in an interview on CNN, adding that the Tesla Inc founder should "stick his submarine where it hurts."

"I assume he did not mean to sodomize me with a submarine. ... Just as I didn't literally mean he was a pedophile," Musk said from the witness stand under questioning by Unsworth's attorney, Lin Wood.

Unsworth is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages from Musk, who also founded rocket company SpaceX, saying the false claims that he is a pedophile harmed his reputation.

Musk was called to testify on Tuesday by the plaintiff's lawyers after a jury was selected in the high-profile case and lawyers for both sides delivered opening statements.

US&nbsp;District Judge Stephen Wilson has said the case hinges on whether a reasonable person would take <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/elon-musk-trial-in-us-court-over-pedo-guy-tweet-266004">Musk's tweet</a> to mean that he was calling Unsworth a pedophile.

To win the defamation case, Unsworth needs to show that Musk was negligent in publishing a falsehood that clearly identified the plaintiff and caused him harm. "Actual malice" on Musk's part does not need to be proven because the judge has deemed Unsworth a private individual, not a public figure.

Although the case does not involve&nbsp;Tesla, Musk's Twitter habits have long been under close scrutiny, with the company's investors and regulators expressing concerns about his tweets.

With 29.8 million followers, Musk's social media account is a major source of publicity for his Palo Alto, California-based electric car company, which does not advertise.

In his opening statement, Unsworth attorney Taylor Wilson said the tweet was more than a slip-up, and Musk had wrongly branded Unsworth a predator "in what should have been one of the proudest moments of his life."

Musk lawyer Alex Spiro countered that Unsworth did not act after the tweet like a man who suffered because of it.

"The plaintiff is saying he has been horribly damaged, and deserves money," Spiro said. "He doesn't."

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk was due to resume testifying in his own defense on Wednesday at the trial for a defamation lawsuit filed by a British diver whom the Silicon Valley billionaire called "pedo guy" on Twitter.

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk was due to resume testifying in his own defense on Wednesday at the trial for a defamation lawsuit filed by a British diver whom the Silicon Valley billionaire called "pedo guy" on Twitter. Musk, the 48-year-old South African-born entrepreneur, apologized for the tweet during his first day on the witness stand in US District Court in Los Angeles on Tuesday, saying he was responding to an "unprovoked" insult by plaintiff Vernon Unsworth. Unsworth was leading a rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave in Thailand last year when he mocked Musk's offer of a mini-submersible as a public relations stunt in an interview on CNN, adding that the Tesla Inc founder should "stick his submarine where it hurts." "I assume he did not mean to sodomize me with a submarine. ... Just as I didn't literally mean he was a pedophile," Musk said from the witness stand under questioning by Unsworth's attorney, Lin Wood. Unsworth is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages from Musk, who also founded rocket company SpaceX, saying the false claims that he is a pedophile harmed his reputation. Musk was called to testify on Tuesday by the plaintiff's lawyers after a jury was selected in the high-profile case and lawyers for both sides delivered opening statements. US District Judge Stephen Wilson has said the case hinges on whether a reasonable person would take Musk's tweet to mean that he was calling Unsworth a pedophile. To win the defamation case, Unsworth needs to show that Musk was negligent in publishing a falsehood that clearly identified the plaintiff and caused him harm. "Actual malice" on Musk's part does not need to be proven because the judge has deemed Unsworth a private individual, not a public figure. Although the case does not involve Tesla, Musk's Twitter habits have long been under close scrutiny, with the company's investors and regulators expressing concerns about his tweets. With 29.8 million followers, Musk's social media account is a major source of publicity for his Palo Alto, California-based electric car company, which does not advertise. In his opening statement, Unsworth attorney Taylor Wilson said the tweet was more than a slip-up, and Musk had wrongly branded Unsworth a predator "in what should have been one of the proudest moments of his life." Musk lawyer Alex Spiro countered that Unsworth did not act after the tweet like a man who suffered because of it. "The plaintiff is saying he has been horribly damaged, and deserves money," Spiro said. "He doesn't."

Elon Musk due back on witness stand in defamation trial stemming from tweets

The CEO of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/musk-suggests-tesla-has-200000-orders-for-cybertruck-264354">Tesla</a> and SpaceX, Elon Musk, is due to take the stand to go on trial for a defamation suit filed against him by Vernon Unsworth, British cave explorer who helped with the rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach from the Tham Luang Nang Non <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/thailand-cave-rescue-the-survival-story-of-2018-186098">cave in Thailand</a> in July 2018.

Musk in a now-deleted tweet had described Unsworth as a “pedo guy” for which Unsworth is now seeking punitive and compensatory damages for harming his reputation.&nbsp;

The trial which begins on Tuesday before US District Judge Stephen Wilson in Los Angeles is set to last for five days.&nbsp;

The row started with Musk offering a SpaceX mini-submarine to help with the rescue mission in Thailand, to which Unsworth gave a statement to CNN on July 13, 2018, claiming it to be&nbsp; “PR stunt” and that Musk could “stick his submarine where it hurts."

Two days later, Musk took to Twitter to lash out against Unsworth in a series of tweets, including one which said, “Sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it."

When questioned about the accusations Musk replied with “bet ya a signed dollar it's true,” all of which were later deleted.&nbsp;

Musk later sent out a tweet expressing apology after Tesla’s stock price dipped by as much as 4 per cent.&nbsp;

“His actions against me do not justify my actions against him...spoken in anger after Mr Unsworth said several untruths and suggested I engage in a sexual act with the mini-sub, which had been built as an act of kindness and according to specifications from the dive team leader,” Musk tweeted.&nbsp;

Judge Wilson earlier denied Musk’s legal team’s request to define Unsworth as a “public figure” due to which Unsworth does not have to provide proof that Musk acted with “actual malice”, lowering the bar necessary to win the case.&nbsp;

Unsworth now only needs to prove negligence on Musk’s side and not an actual intent to defame. Unsworth is required to prove Musk’s comments to be false and that people believed them to be true.&nbsp;

Musk is <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/musk-to-testify-in-own-defense-in-defamation-trial-his-lawyer-says-264544">expected to testify</a> in his own defence with his legal team insisting on not making any out-of-court settlements.&nbsp;

“Pedo guy was a common insult used in South Africa when I was growing up,”&nbsp; said Musk in a court filing in an attempt to have the case thrown out of court, which was claimed to be “offensive to the truth” by Unsworth’s legal team.&nbsp;

"It is synonymous with ‘creepy old man’ and is used to insult a person’s appearance and demeanour, not accuse a person of paedophilia.”

Musk’s legal team has claimed that the tweets were Musk’s opinion, not a statement of fact, and also that Unsworth aimed to gain profit from his role in the rescue mission.&nbsp;

The team also claims that Unsworth’s comments to CNN implying that Musk did not care about the lives of the trapped boys provoked Musk’s response.&nbsp;

The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk, is due to take the stand to go on trial for a defamation suit filed against him by Vernon Unsworth, British cave explorer who helped with the rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach from the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Thailand in July 2018.

The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk, is due to take the stand to go on trial for a defamation suit filed against him by Vernon Unsworth, British cave explorer who helped with the rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach from the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Thailand in July 2018. Musk in a now-deleted tweet had described Unsworth as a “pedo guy” for which Unsworth is now seeking punitive and compensatory damages for harming his reputation. The trial which begins on Tuesday before US District Judge Stephen Wilson in Los Angeles is set to last for five days. The row started with Musk offering a SpaceX mini-submarine to help with the rescue mission in Thailand, to which Unsworth gave a statement to CNN on July 13, 2018, claiming it to be “PR stunt” and that Musk could “stick his submarine where it hurts." Two days later, Musk took to Twitter to lash out against Unsworth in a series of tweets, including one which said, “Sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it." When questioned about the accusations Musk replied with “bet ya a signed dollar it's true,” all of which were later deleted. Musk later sent out a tweet expressing apology after Tesla’s stock price dipped by as much as 4 per cent. “His actions against me do not justify my actions against him...spoken in anger after Mr Unsworth said several untruths and suggested I engage in a sexual act with the mini-sub, which had been built as an act of kindness and according to specifications from the dive team leader,” Musk tweeted. Judge Wilson earlier denied Musk’s legal team’s request to define Unsworth as a “public figure” due to which Unsworth does not have to provide proof that Musk acted with “actual malice”, lowering the bar necessary to win the case. Unsworth now only needs to prove negligence on Musk’s side and not an actual intent to defame. Unsworth is required to prove Musk’s comments to be false and that people believed them to be true. Musk is expected to testify in his own defence with his legal team insisting on not making any out-of-court settlements. “Pedo guy was a common insult used in South Africa when I was growing up,” said Musk in a court filing in an attempt to have the case thrown out of court, which was claimed to be “offensive to the truth” by Unsworth’s legal team. "It is synonymous with ‘creepy old man’ and is used to insult a person’s appearance and demeanour, not accuse a person of paedophilia.” Musk’s legal team has claimed that the tweets were Musk’s opinion, not a statement of fact, and also that Unsworth aimed to gain profit from his role in the rescue mission. The team also claims that Unsworth’s comments to CNN implying that Musk did not care about the lives of the trapped boys provoked Musk’s response.

Elon Musk to go to court in defamation trial over ‘pedo guy’ tweet

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