Court Documents: Elon Musk Called Himself a "Fucking Idiot"

It seems Musk regrets calling that cave diver a "pedo guy."

The Saga Continues

Elon Musk regretted calling Vernon Unsworth a "child rapist" in an email to BuzzFeed, a court document filed by the British diver reveals.

"I didn’t expect Buzzfeed to publish an off the record email," Musk said, according to the document. "My intent was to have them investigate and come to their own conclusions, not publish my email directly. Still, I’m a fucking idiot."

Case Recap

In case you need a refresher:

In July 2018, Musk suggested sending a "mini-sub" to rescue a group of boys from a flooded cave in Thailand. Vernon Unsworth, a British cave diver who played a critical part in the ensuing rescue, then called the idea a "PR stunt" during an interview.

Musk didn't like that at all and shot back, calling Unsworth a "pedo guy" and a "child rapist" in an email to BuzzFeed. This prompted Unsworth to sue Musk for defamation.

Unsworth Vs. Musk

Musk's ironclad defense, according to the court documents, was that he didn't mean the insult literally. Unsworth's legal team responded by releasing the documents opposing Musk's request to dismiss the case.

If Unsworth's legal filings are anything to go by, Musk also regrets attempting to substantiate his baseless accusation that the diver was a "pedo guy" by paying James Howard Higgins — a British man who turned out to be a convicted felon — $50,000 to dig up some dirt on Unsworth.

It was "one of the dumbest things I’ve ever done," Unsworth's lawyers quote Musk as saying, with the Tesla CEO even admitting that Howard-Higgins was a "con man" that, in retrospect, was "just taking us for a ride."

READ MORE: Elon Musk: ‘I’m a Fucking Idiot’ [Gizmodo]

More on the saga: Elon Musk Paid Convict to Investigate Man He Called “Pedo Guy”