British cave explorer Vernon Unsworth felt 'branded a pedophile' by Elon Musk tweet

[Elmer Fudd]

This is just a quick payday for Vernon. If he let it go then it would've been forgotten. Starting a lawsuit and having your name permanently tied to the accusation of being a pedophile in every major news network seems counterproductive if his goal is protecting his character.

[yogi100]

9 hours ago, Yadon Toploy said:

Have you been branded a pedophile on social media by someone with 30 million followers?

You can bet he's never called someone a paedophile to their face either. He has not got the guts, neither has Musk.

[Puccini]

6 hours ago, rhyddid said:

First he offended the goodwill of musk, then he got a shot back, fair enough, each apologize to the other and the matter is close, its more then clear that the brit gentleman is thinking to have won the lifetime lottery, which he will never get, as US lawyers are often more expensive of the rewards.

 

I believe the matter would have been closed after the apologies if Musk had not subsequently said that it must be true that Unsworth is a paedophile because he had not sued him.

[Puccini]

1 hour ago, sirineou said:

Musk apologised, Vernon should had apologised also for saying " stick it where it hurts", They could had met, had lunch, had a press conference where they shook hands and this would had being the end...

On 6 August 2018 Unsworths lawyer wrote to Musk: "In an attempt to avoid litigation and to see the public record corrected, I invite you or your legal representative to contact me." Could this be interpreted as an initiative to get the matter settled amicably? (Musk called it an extortion attempt in Tuesday's court hearing)

 

Wood's letter to Musk:

Source: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dlw2c0bUUAA2jVs.jpg

 

[Puccini]

Musk's public tweet to a journalist on 28 August 2018:

 

It may have been this that finally shut the door to the possibility of a handshake and "let's forget it"

[Puccini]

Two days later, on 30 August, 2018, Musk emailed this text to a journalist with reference to Unsworth and the journalist subsequently published it:

“I suggest that you call people you know in Thailand, find out what’s actually going on and stop defending child rapists, you <deleted> <deleted>.”

Source: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/elon-musk-thai-cave-rescuer-accusations-buzzfeed-email

 

I'm not sure if this email has been allowed as evidence in the trial.

 

 

[Puccini]

Day 2 of the trial.

 

Quote

 

CAVER UNSWORTH TESTIFIES HE FELT ‘DIRTIED’ BY MUSK’S ‘PEDO GUY’ TWEET
Day two of the defamation trial was Musk in the morning, Unsworth in the afternoon

By Elizabeth Lopatto@mslopatto  Dec 5, 2019, 2:40am EST

 

Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/5/20996680/elon-musk-testimony-vernon-unsworth-tweet-humiliated-dirtied-defamation

 

 

[Odysseus123]

1 hour ago, Elmer Fudd said:

This is just a quick payday for Vernon. If he let it go then it would've been forgotten. Starting a lawsuit and having your name permanently tied to the accusation of being a pedophile in every major news network seems counterproductive if his goal is protecting his character.

Incorrect in every detail.

 

Still..I guess that if Elmer Fudd did not exist it would be necessary to create him.

 

'buggsy' Voltaire

[faraday]

2 hours ago, Elmer Fudd said:

This is just a quick payday for Vernon. If he let it go then it would've been forgotten. Starting a lawsuit and having your name permanently tied to the accusation of being a pedophile in every major news network seems counterproductive if his goal is protecting his character.

It's nothing to do with a "quick payday"; your assumption is incorrect.

 

 

[Elmer Fudd]

1 hour ago, faraday said:

It's nothing to do with a "quick payday"; your assumption is incorrect.

 

 

Well, it does have something to do with a payday. That's basically the goal when suing someone.

[faraday]

56 minutes ago, Elmer Fudd said:

Well, it does have something to do with a payday. That's basically the goal when suing someone.

Yes it can do, but I think in this case, it's about making Musk responsible for a stupid & defamatory comment.

 

I think that Musk was attempting to use the rescue as a business opportunity, & Vernon most likely recognised this, became irritated, & responded.

 

 Musk's reply was completely inappropriate.

 

This all could have been settled with an apology, shaking of hands....a wai & 500 baht.????

[tominbkk]

17 hours ago, gamini said:

Hope Unsworth loses his case. His low life insulting remarks against Musk were only made because he did not like losing his once in a lifetime limelight to someone far more educated and intelligent than him

That really does sum it up nicely.

[tominbkk]

So Pedo guy has to prove he is not a pedohile in court, right?  Hmmmmm.

[transam]

12 hours ago, sirineou said:

What's with the new avatar? will you be changing your used name to Tarzan? LOL

 

 The same you said above can be said about success resentment. 

My avatar, what's wrong with it...?

 

Singer, James Taylor, sitting in a street drag race car upsets you....?    ????

[BritManToo]

17 minutes ago, tominbkk said:

So Pedo guy has to prove he is not a pedohile in court, right?  Hmmmmm.

For defamation/libel, burden of proof is usually on the accuser, not the victim.

The rich and famous need to behave in a way to protect their wealth, if they don't want to lose some of it.

[sirineou]

20 minutes ago, transam said:

My avatar, what's wrong with it...?

 

Singer, James Taylor, sitting in a street drag race car upsets you....?    ????

I didn't see the car I just saw the dude looking at me funny and got nervous.

I like your old avatar, get it back or I'll pout 

[Sheryl]

16 hours ago, KenKadz said:

Way too much drama!

Unsworth saw an opportunity to make money, just like those Me-Too chicks suing everyone in the US.

Did Unsworth ever deny being a pedo?

 

Uh yes, quite vehemently.

 

His live-in GF (who is in her 40's) also went public about Musk's claim that Vern was a "child rapist" who had gone to Thailand top "marry a 12 year old". She stated she was no child bride, as obviously she is not.

 

Terrible that he -- and she -- felt the need to do this.

[Sheryl]

13 hours ago, micmichd said:

Didn't Musk also make comments about Unsworth's relationship with a Thai lady?

 

Yes. Claimed she was only 12. (She is now in her 40's, would have been in her 30's when the relationship started).

 

These particular  comments were stricken from the complaint by the judge because they were made in private correspondence but will be allowed as evidence as to Musk's state of mind.

[Sheryl]

7 hours ago, Elmer Fudd said:

This is just a quick payday for Vernon. If he let it go then it would've been forgotten. Starting a lawsuit and having your name permanently tied to the accusation of being a pedophile in every major news network seems counterproductive if his goal is protecting his character.

 

I think the damage had already been done, especially in the community of Thai expats.

Quite a lot of posts at that time on TVF to the effect of "if Musk says this, it must be true, "Musk wouldn't say something like this without proof, he knows some thing we don't"  and "No smoke without fire".  Mods removed these on grounds of defamation but as I recall they were popping up almost as fast as they could be taken down.

 

And then there was Musk's tweet, broadcast to tens of millions of people, asking "if it isn't true why hasn't he sued me?". Responding to that with silence could well have been taken as an admission.

 

He did not sue right away,  only after repeated provocation by Musk.

[chrisinth]

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

 

I think the damage had already been done, especially in the community of Thai expats.

Quite a lot of posts at that time on TVF to the effect of "if Musk says this, it must be true, "Musk wouldn't say something like this without proof, he kno3s some thing we don't"  and "No smoke without fire".  Mods removed these on grounds of defamation but as I recall they were popping up almost as fast as they could be taken down.

 

And then there was Musk's tweet, broadcast to tens of millions of people, asking "if it isn't true why hasn't he sued me?". Responding to that with silence could well have been taken as an admission.

 

He did not sue right away,  only after repeated provocation by Musk.

That's the way I've read it as well. When you push someone into an action, (as I see it in this case) prepare for the consequences.

[Puccini]

Day 3 of the trial.

 

Quote

 

ELON MUSK’S LAWYERS PRESSURE CAVER UNSWORTH FOR AN APOLOGY
“Did you ever tell anyone that Musk should get his big checkbook out?”

By Elizabeth Lopatto@mslopatto  Dec 6, 2019, 2:57am EST

 

Source: https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/6/20998428/elon-musk-testimony-vernon-unsworth-tweet-honors-agent

 

Pro memoria: Day 1   Day 2

[PremiumLane]

On 12/5/2019 at 2:46 PM, gamini said:

Hope Unsworth loses his case. His low life insulting remarks against Musk were only made because he did not like losing his once in a lifetime limelight to someone far more educated and intelligent than him

so intelligent he paid 50K for a conman to investigate Unsworth? That is a real special kind of education and intelligence to do that and then believe the lies the conman feeds to you.... real special intelligence

[PremiumLane]

19 hours ago, sirineou said:

Musk apologised, Vernon should had apologised also for saying " stick it where it hurts", They could had met, had lunch, had a press conference where they shook hands and this would had being the end, Vernon might had even landed a nice job somewhere with all the positive press.  Now? I agree with you he did not play this well at all,I think the lawyers with $$ in their eyes led him down the wrong path.  .

Big difference between being told to stick a sub where the sun don't shine and acqusing someone of pedophillia and then hiring people to dig up dirt to try and make that acquisition stick. 

 

And his lawyers did try to settle it, but Musk doubled down, so it ended up in court. I am sure you would just brush it off if someone told millions of people you were a pedo, cos you never know, after the dust settles you might get a nice little job out of it....

[sirineou]

3 hours ago, PremiumLane said:

Big difference between being told to stick a sub where the sun don't shine and acqusing someone of pedophillia and then hiring people to dig up dirt to try and make that acquisition stick. 

 

And his lawyers did try to settle it, but Musk doubled down, so it ended up in court. I am sure you would just brush it off if someone told millions of people you were a pedo, cos you never know, after the dust settles you might get a nice little job out of it....

No I would not like it, But I also don't go around telling people to stick things up their <deleted>, but if I did I would certainly understand if they were upset with me. There was nothing to settle, Musk publicly apologise, Vernon should have apologised too, and then perhaps they could talk.

[Reigntax]

On 12/5/2019 at 8:46 PM, KenKadz said:

Way too much drama!

Unsworth saw an opportunity to make money, just like those Me-Too chicks suing everyone in the US.

Did Unsworth ever deny being a pedo?

And that you ask him to deny the slur is exactly the reason why Unsworth should and will win.

[balo]

I really hope Unsworth get something out of this , I would have sued him myself. 
All male expats living in Thailand are labelled "pedo" thanks to the comments from Musk.

[sirineou]

13 minutes ago, balo said:

I really hope Unsworth get something out of this , I would have sued him myself. 
All male expats living in Thailand are labelled "pedo" thanks to the comments from Musk.

I smell  a class action lawsuit?

I have the perfect law firm for it ,Dewey, Cheatem & Howe Law firm 

[Sticky Wicket]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50695593?ocid=socialflow_twitter&ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbcnews

 

Elon wins the case, money talks and the bullshìt walks

[Cryingdick]

2 hours ago, balo said:

I really hope Unsworth get something out of this , I would have sued him myself. 
All male expats living in Thailand are labelled "pedo" thanks to the comments from Musk.

 

He got what he deserves. Musk isn't the one that made the stereotype of white dudes in Thailand being pedos. White guys dating girls that look 12 years old did that. Vern will be known as the gold digging peso guy who tried to sue Musk now.

[Sticky Wicket]

What a shocker, bent judges in LA