Elon Musk's America PAC 'lottery' would immediately shut down if Philadelphia DA lawsuit succeeds Friday
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- A lawsuit by the Philadelphia DA would stop Elon Musk's $1M-a-day voter giveaway as early as Friday.
- DA Larry Krasner calls the giveaway an illegal lottery.
- A hearing on Krasner's request for an emergency injunction will come 4 days before the election.
The Philadelphia district attorney is demanding an emergency court hearing on Friday morning in an effort to shut down Elon Musk's America PAC, which the city calls an "illegal lottery" in a lawsuit filed Monday.
DA Larry Krasner is seeking an injunction from a Philadelphia judge in which Musk and his PAC would be "restrained and enjoined from promoting, maintaining or operating their lottery," according to a draft injunction filed with the lawsuit.
The suit seeks to stop Musk from offering a daily chance to win $1 million. The drive has a catch: people must be registered voters to apply for the giveaway.
Representatives and attorneys for Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Business Insider.
The matter will be heard at 10 a.m. before Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas Judge Anne Marie B. Coyle, who took the bench in 2013 after running on a Republican slate.
Krasner's lawsuit says the billionaire's giveaway is an unregulated lottery that violates Pennsylvania law.
"If not enjoined, their lottery scheme and unfair and deceptive conduct will irreparably harm Philadelphians (and
others in Pennsylvania) as well as tarnish the public's right to a free and fair election," the lawsuit said.
Musk and his PAC "have shrouded key aspects of the lottery in secrecy," including by failing to detail contest rules, the odds of winning, and how winners are selected," or the lawsuit said.
Musk himself has only said "we're gonna be awarding a million dollars, randomly, every day from now until the election," the lawsuit noted, quoting from a video posting from his X account.
Musk is clear about the purpose of the giveaway, explaining in the same video, "I figured 'How do we get people to know about it?'" in reference to the election, the lawsuit said.
"Defendants have already unlawfully acquired data from over 280,000 unsuspecting Pennsylvanians and will suffer no injury by being enjoined from further wrongdoing," the lawsuit also said.
The offer has been criticized by Democrats as a cash-for-registration drive designed to help boost Donald Trump's numbers. Federal law bars paying someone to either vote or register to vote.
This is a developing story; please check back for details.