A lawsuit filed against Elon Musk and his political action committee (PAC) on May 8 accuses them of failing to pay registered voters in swing states for signing a petition in support of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.
They accuse Musk and America PAC of breaching their contract by failing to pay them the money they were promised in return for their participation.
In the lead-up to November’s election, Musk, the world’s wealthiest person, offered voters in the states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin a payment of $47 if they signed America PAC’s “Petition in Favor of Free Speech and the Right to Bear Arms.”
The amount later increased to $100 in Pennsylvania.
Registered voters were also promised payments of $47—and, later $100 in Pennsylvania—for successfully referring voters in the seven states who signed the petition to support the First and Second Amendments.
The lawsuit states that Musk and his America PAC repeatedly advertised the offers to the general public through various means, including at campaign events, on social media, and online.
According to the lawsuit, Maglietta referred many voters in Pennsylvania to sign the petition leading up to the election but has yet to be paid the full promised amounts for his referrals.
Victorious referred many voters in Georgia and other swing states, but has also not been paid, the lawsuit said.
Reid worked as a canvasser for America PAC in Michigan and in Georgia, and also referred many voters to sign the petition leading up to the election, the legal filing states.
Hundreds Expected to Join Lawsuit
“Plaintiffs are in communication with numerous others who referred voters to sign the America PAC petition, who are likewise frustrated that they did not receive full payments for their referrals,” the lawsuit states.The filing says that “more than 100 Class Members” are expected to join the lawsuit, with the amount owed likely to exceed $5 million.
As well as alleging a breach of contract, plaintiffs in the lawsuit reference promissory estoppel. The doctrine in contract law is aimed at preventing a party from going back on its promise when another party has relied on that promise in a “reasonable” way, even if there was no formal contract.
“Having justifiably relied on Defendants’ promises, Plaintiffs and Class Members are entitled to damages they incurred based upon their detrimental reliance on Defendants’ promises, including, without limitation, unpaid signature and referral fees,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit seeks compensatory and consequential damages and any other relief the Court deems just and proper.
Plaintiffs are also demanding a trial by jury on all issues that are liable to a judicial trial.
In response to that lawsuit, America PAC spokesperson Andrew Romeo told The Associated Press that it is “committed to paying for every legitimate petition signature, which is evidenced by the fact that we have paid tens of millions of dollars to canvassers for their hard work in support of our mission.”
Romeo said the PAC was also “committed to rooting out fraud and have the right to withhold payments to fraudsters.”
The Epoch Times has contacted a spokesperson for Musk and America PAC for comment.
