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The British cave diver who helped save a trapped Thai soccer team has sued volatile Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk for inexplicably calling him a child rapist and pedo guy.

British diver Vernon Unsworth, who aided in the rescue of 12 boys and their coach from a flooded Thai cave in July, sued Musk for defamation Monday in a federal court in Los Angeles. Hes seeking $75,000 in compensatory damages, unspecified punitive damages and an injunction ordering Musk to stop the unfounded insults.

Elon Musk falsely accused Vern Unsworth of being guilty of heinous crimes, Unsworths attorney L. Lin Wood said in a statement. Musks influence and wealth cannot convert his lies into truth or protect him from accountability for his wrongdoing in a court of law.

Before the soccer teams rescue, Musk built a mini-submarine crafted out of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket part that he said could be used to ferry everyone out of the cave. Unsworth dismissed the offer as a PR stunt and said Musk could stick his submarine where it hurts .

Musks gadget had absolutely no chance of working, Unsworth told CNN , adding that Musk had no conception of what the cave passage was like.

Thats when Musk baselessly called Unsworth a pedo guy.

We will make one of the mini-sub/pod going all the way to Cave 5 no problemo, Musk tweeted. Sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it.

Musk deleted the tweet after a storm of criticism on social media and later apologized to Unsworth , saying he had insulted him in anger. Investors had also called on Musk to apologize, with one saying his troubling behavior was fueling an unhelpful perception of his business leadership. Tesla shares plunged after publicity about Musks name-calling.

But Musk again goaded the diver last month by tweeting that he found it strange that Unsworth hadnt yet sued him .

You dont think its strange he hasnt sued me? He was offered free legal services. And you call yourself @yoda
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 28, 2018

That tweet conveyed to the average reader that Mr. Unsworths failure to sue him was evidence that Mr. Unsworth is, in fact, a pedophile and guilty of the most heinous crimes, reads Unsworths suit.

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When BuzzFeed contacted Musk about the latest tweet early this month, Musk responded in an email: I suggest that you call people you know in Thailand, find out whats actually going on and stop defending child rapists , you fucking asshole. Musk added: I fucking hope he sues me.

Musks off-the-wall insults are part of a string of provocative behavior roiling his businesses.

Early this month, he smoked a blunt on Joe Rogan s podcast. In August, he apologized to analysts for bad behavior on a conference call, told The New York Times he had an excruciating year, and tweeted out of the blue that he was considering taking Tesla private (but hadnt secured the funds to do so ). That action has drawn scrutiny by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Elon Musk smoking a blunt for the first time on Joe Rogan's podcast is Internet gold pic.twitter.com/nx8zQ7HlyB

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Elon Musk smoking a blunt for the first time on Joe Rogan's podcast is Internet gold pic.twitter.com/nx8zQ7HlyB
gifdsports (@gifdsports) September 7, 2018

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