Elon Musk is looking to challenge the role that the cave diver he called a ‘pedo’ played in the 2018 rescue of a group of Thai boys.
The embattled Tesla founder filed court documents on Monday asking that a judge allow him to challenge some of the claims made by Vernon Unsworth as they two head towards a trial next month.
Musk also writes that he will present ‘evidence that Mr. Unsworth filed this lawsuit motivated by fame and pecuniary gain, and not because he actually suffered emotional or reputational harm.’
In a seperate court filing, Musk also stated that the phrase ‘pedo’ is ‘aimed at mocking a person’s appearance and demeanor, not an accusation of pedophilia.’
The trial is currently set to start on December 2 in Los Angeles.
Putting on the ritz: Elon Musk (above) is attempting to dismiss the defamation suit filed against him by Vernon Unsworth before the two men head to trial next month
Vernon: Musk referred to the British expat diver (above) who was involved in the rescue mission to save a group of Thai boys in 2018 as a ‘pedo’
Unsworth first managed to draw Musk’s ire when he dismissed the inventor’s project to build a kid-size submarine to save the young boys trapped in the cave during a TV interview.
Documents filed by Musk suggest that he will argue in court that by appearing on TV, Unsworth opened himself up to public criticism, especially since his role in the rescue was not vital.
‘Though Mr. Unsworth played a role in the cave rescue’s early days—by convincing Thai authorities to contact British cave rescue divers and by suggesting where the boys likely were located—his role receded after the boys were found and the focus turned to devising a way to safely extract them, by diving them out,’ writes Musk’s attorney Alex Spiro.
‘Mr. Unsworth was not a cave diver and did not have the expertise needed to participate in those life-threatening aspects of the rescue, which claimed the life of one Thai Navy Seal.’
That filing continues: ‘Nonetheless, Mr. Unsworth remained front and center to the media, providing interviews on the status of the rescue efforts and reminding anyone who would listen of the role he had played. The evidence will show that he intended to capitalize monetarily on his role, and sought to remain the focus of the limelight.’
A previous court filing submitted by one of Musk’s employees back in September revealed that the billionaire had hired a man by the name of James Howard to investigate Unsworth.
That filing said that Howard had reached out to Musk offering up his services on the very same day that the Tesla founder called Unsworth – the British expat and diver who helped to rescue the group of Thai boys who became stuck in a cave – a ‘pedo guy.’
Howard was hired one month later, after claiming in emails that he ‘served in the United Kingdom Special Forces for eleven years and the United Kingdom Security Service (commonly known as MI5) for two years’
He also claimed to have worked with George Soros and Paul Allen, and said his firm had provided security for the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
Musk would later declare himself a ‘f***ing idiot’ for calling Unsworth a ‘pedo guy’ claim court docs.
Buzzfeed is now reporting however that James Howard is actually James Howard-Higgins, a man who served time for stealing money from his business partners and defrauded his own company multiple times.
He also never worked for Soros, did not provide security as he detailed at Cannes, and was not a member of MI5.
Rescue mission: The Thai cave boys Unsworth helped save are pictured during their ordeal
‘James Howard-Higgins systematically stole from his business partner over a sustained period of time despite being caught in the act and given numerous second chances,’ a detective constable wrote at the time of his arrest in 2016.
‘He selfishly abused his position of trust.’
He was eventually sentenced to three years behind bars after stealing $320,000 from his company and then opening a credit card in another individual’s name after his partners had agreed to absorb the debt he had previously accumulated by lifting funds.
One of the companies founder’s, Mark Wood, provided a reference for Howard-Higgins to Buzzfeed, stating: ‘The enormity of his deception and fraudulent actions within the business led me to call in the police.
‘With a prison record it ought to be difficult to continue in this same line of business. Sadly it appears not to be the case.’
Howard-Higgins seemed to win over Musk by stroking his ego, stating in the firm email that he agreed with Musk’s assessment of Unsworth and suggesting there would almost certainly be evidence once he began to look into the cave diver’s past.
He then fed Musk information that never outright confirmed his claim but did not dispute it either, with many of the emails from Project Rowena shared in court filings.
Two days after he was hired, Howard-Higgins wrote: ‘Early conversations would indicate that he feels that any questions they may have had prior or post cave recovery would be suppressed as the Thai local and federal government are using the success to boost tourism and divert Thailand away from its historical sex tourist industry.
‘I will have more feedback and timelines for you over the weekend. There is no question that the target “associates” locally with Europeans who enjoy ‘Thai comforts’ that are not acceptable in a developed society.’
There is no evidence that Unsworth did any of the things that Howard-Higgins suggested in these emails.