--- title: "Court Documents: Elon Musk Called Himself a “Fucking Idiot”" description: "Elon Musk regrets calling Vernon Unsworth a \"child rapist\" in an email to BuzzFeed, according to court documents filed by British diver." date: "2019-10-08" modified: "2019-10-08" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/court-documents-elon-musk-fucking-idiot" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "lawsuit" - "the digest" --- # Court Documents: Elon Musk Called Himself a “Fucking Idiot” ![Elon Musk regrets calling Vernon Unsworth a "child rapist" in an email to BuzzFeed, according to court documents filed by British diver.]() *\Image: Daniel Oberhaus via Flickr/Tag Hartman-Simkins\* ## 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”]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()