Cards Against Humanity is the latest entity to take on Elon Musk in court. The irreverent party game company filed a $15 million lawsuit against SpaceX for trespassing on a property it owns in Texas, which is located near the SpaceX facility.
According In a filing in a Texas federal court, Musk's rocket company began using its land without permission over the past six months. SpaceX took what was once “pristine” land “and completely screwed that land up with gravel, tractors, and space junk,” CAH wrote in a statement. .
As you'd expect from the card game company known for its risqué sense of humor and attention-grabbing stunts, there's a fun backstory about how it became SpaceX's neighbor in Texas in the first place. The company purchased land along the U.S.-Mexico border as part of a crowdfunding initiative to protest then-President Donald Trump’s plan to build a border wall. Since then, the company writes, it has maintained the land with regular mowing, fencing and “no trespassing” signs.
SpaceX then purchased adjacent land and earlier this year allegedly began using the CAH land amid some sort of construction project. From the lawsuit (emphasis theirs):
The site was cleared of vegetation and the ground was compacted with gravel or another substance to allow SpaceX and its contractors to drive and park their vehicles throughout the property. Generators were brought in to run equipment and lights while work was being done before and after sunrise. A huge mound of gravel was dumped onto the property; the gravel is being stored and used for building construction by SpaceX contractors along the road. Large construction equipment and numerous construction-related vehicles are continually used and stored on the property. And, of course, workers are present performing construction work and preparing materials and vehicles for work to be done in other areas. In short, SpaceX has treated the Property as if it were its own for at least six (6) months with no regard for CAH's property rights or the safety of anyone entering what has become a workplace that is presumably governed by OSHA safety requirements.
SpaceX, according to the filing, “never asked permission” to use the land and “never contacted CAH to explain or apologize for the damage.” However, the rocket company gave “a 12-hour ultimatum to accept a very low offer for less than half the value of our land,” according to a statement posted online. A CAH spokesperson said the land in question is “approximately one acre” in size.
In response to the ultimatum, CAH filed a $15 million lawsuit against SpaceX for trespassing and damage to its property. The gaming company, which was originally funded through a Kickstarter campaign, says that if it is successful in court, it will share the proceeds with the 150,000 fans who originally helped purchase the land in 2017. where subscribers can sign up for a chance to get up to $150 of the potential $15 million payout if their lawsuit is successful. (A disclaimer notes that “Elon Musk has way more money and lawyers than Cards Against Humanity, and while CAH will do everything they can to get me $100, they will probably only be able to get me about $2 or, most likely, nothing.”)
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But CAH is not the only Texas landowner who has raised questions about the company’s tactics. SpaceX has been aggressively increasing its presence in South Texas in recent years. The expansion, which has resulted in many locals selling their land to SpaceX, has rankled some longtime residents, according to an investigation. Reuters Agency.
CAH says Musk’s past behavior makes SpaceX’s actions “particularly offensive” to the company, which is known for taking a stance on social issues.
“The 2017 holiday campaign that resulted in the Property purchase was based on CAH’s efforts to fight ‘injustice, lies (and) racism,’” it states. “It is therefore particularly offensive that these heinous acts against the Property were committed by the company led by Elon Musk. As is widely known, Musk has been accused of tolerating racism and sexism at Tesla and amplifying the anti-Semitic ‘Great Replacement Theory.’ Allowing Musk’s company to abuse the Property that CAH supporters contributed money to purchase for the sole purpose of stopping such behavior is entirely contrary to both the motive for the contribution and the principles on which CAH is founded.”
