Hello, I'm the richest man in the world. Every product I release catches on fire and explodes. Please like me. If you don't I will sue you.
— steven monacelli (@stevanzetti) November 20, 2023
Including, apparently, the lawsuits! Musk’s lawyers *did* actually file suit againt Media Matter for America (MMFA), in a fashion many online legal watchers classified as ‘would take many billable hours to rise to the level of ‘half-hearted’:
On Monday, Elon Musk followed through on his threat to sue the nonprofit watchdog Media Matters, filing suit over the site’s recent claim that X has been placing ads from major corporations alongside pro-Nazi content. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, names the site as well as Eric Hananoki, the reporter who authored the piece in question…
… But does Musk’s lawsuit actually have a chance? Some experts seem far from convinced. Steve Vladeck, a University of Texas law professor, told CNN that Musk’s choice of a more favorable venue like Texas suggests an attempt to bolster a weak case. (X Corp. is based in Nevada, while Media Matters is located in Washington, D.C.)
“It’s one of those lawsuits that’s filed more for symbolism than for substance — as reflected in just how empty the allegations really are and in where Musk chose to file, singling out the ultraconservative Northern District of Texas despite its absence of any logical connection to the dispute,” Vladeck said. “The choice of venue can best be described as trying to shore up a weak claim on the merits with a bench more likely to be sympathetic even to weak claims.” Andrew Fleischman, a trial and appellate lawyer based in Georgia, also pointed to the venue location for the case. “X, a Nevada corporation, is suing Media Matters, a Maryland corporation, in Texas, a state whose only relation to the parties is that it has vowed to jail anyone who criticizes one of them,” he posted on X…
Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor and a Politico columnist, described the lawsuit on social media as “a PR stunt masquerading as a lawsuit.”…
The lawyers in Grimes’ custody case, on the other hand, probably high-fived each other when Musk whipped out his followup… jape? (He’ll claim it was a joke):
There is a large graveyard filled with my enemies.
I do not wish to add to it, but will if given no choice.
Those who pick fights with me do so at their own peril, but maybe this is their lucky day …
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 21, 2023
This would be prima facie evidence to trigger every red flag law. pic.twitter.com/Jz3eNIpw6G
— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@BettyBowers) November 22, 2023
His haterz be hatin’!
“There is a large graveyard filled with my enemies” says the guy who owns Twitter because he lost in court
— AuTomnal Hilton (@TVHilton) November 22, 2023
Elon has lost his wife, his kids, 40 billion dollars, and his space ship crashed. It’s like a genre of country music that doesn’t even exist yet
— zach reinert (@zachreinert0) November 22, 2023
War for Ukraine Day 640: The 90th Anniversary of the End of the Holodomor
bjacques
Lighten up, Francis
Dangerman
Deep philosophical thoughts …
… how the fuck does Auburn rush 2 (oh, sure, that’s innovative, except rushing 2 is the same as rushing zero, i.e. worthless) …
… drop 9 into coverage, covering 5 (i.e. everyone is doubled) …
… and still fuck up the play?
Hate Alabama. Only problem is if I am Georgia, I sit people. Win or lose, you are in. Sure, you want the #1 seed, but does’t matter a lot.
Odie Hugh Manatee
I am so sick and tired of seeing this rich fucker all over the place. He can’t shut his gob because he’s high on his own shit and he just has to tell us how great he is. He seeks the attention and basks in the adoration of the worst people by acknowledging and agreeing with their twisted beliefs, creating a feedback loop of the horrible shit they use to troll the world. I am very uncomfortable with the fact that our government does business with a man who has no respect for rules, laws or really… anything much at all. He’s just another rich kid that has got away with one thing after another because of his money.
Too bad they didn’t strap him into his car before they launched it into space. What a missed opportunity.
Ten Bears
I doubt that tub of lard could fight its’ way out of a wet paper bag
I’d be happy to give it the opportunity to try
Stick a bone in its’ nose and send it back to Africa …
mrmoshpotato
LMAO!
mrmoshpotato
@Dangerman: As thoughts of college football danced through Dangerman’s head. :)
Baud
AL,
I emailed you some BlueSky invite codes. Since I haven’t emailed you before, I wanted to make sure that you got them.
oldster
The little white dog does it best — the right mixture of belligerence, insecurity, and impotence.
Anne Laurie
@Baud: Yes, I did — and I’ve already sent them out to waiting jackals!
So, if you don’t recognize some of your latest followers…
Baud
@Anne Laurie:
Awesome. Thanks.
p.a.
Remember the Burt Lancaster character in Local Hero, the super rich businessman who paid his therapist to call him an asshole?
lowtechcyclist
I think the ideal response to his spewing bullshit like this would be for the FBI to act as if they’re taking him seriously, and haul his ass in for an extended interview about these people he claims to have killed.
ETA: The rest of us, of course, should simply point and laugh at the enormous dork.
matt
He’d look even more awesome if he videotaped himself practicing light saber moves in the garage.
Shalimar
@Dangerman: The #1 seed is the least of it. Yes, the National Championship is the big one and Georgia wants that 3rd in a row badly. But beating Alabama still matters. Winning the SEC again still matters.
Georgia has never won 3 SEC titles in a row. Only Tennessee (pre-WWII), Florida (1990s), and Alabama (many times) have done it.
eclare
@Odie Hugh Manatee:
Agree 1000%.
lowtechcyclist
Good morning, y’all.
Betty Cracker
There is a large graveyard filled with my enemies.
I do not wish to add to it, but will if given no choice.
Those who pick fights with me do so at their own peril, but maybe this is their lucky day …
OzarkHillbilly
Anybody who has to tell you what a tough guy he is, isn’t.
NotMax
@Betty Cracker
Not the most flattering shot of Brendan Fraser.
:)
Princess
“I try to finish them.” Says the guy who weaseled away and got very quiet after Zuckerberg decided to take him seriously.
Spanky
Please don’t.
Dorothy A. Winsor
The lawsuit is a joke, but it’ll cost Media Matters actual money, which sucks.
OzarkHillbilly
@Dorothy A. Winsor: I won’t be in the least surprised if Musk ends up footing the bill for MM. As you say, this lawsuit is a joke, a very bad joke, and judges by and large do not like being part of a joke.
jimmiraybob
Actual fighters don’t waste that many words. That’s what the entourage is for.
frosty
I’m going to stick by my resolution of a couple of weeks ago to never read about Musk or Trump again and skip this post and comments. So far it’s working!
I think I’ll spend the time balancing the checkbook instead.
trnc
CountryX
Tony Jay
Those swords. They sooooo big.
Watch me as I preserve for posterity clear evidence of that time I scaled the dizzy heights of Mount Pathetic strapped to the back of a five foot Nepalese Sherpa whose name I didn’t even bother to learn.
moonbat
This goes against my mother’s teachings of “If you can’t say anything nice, etc., etc.” but I have to say I am long distance enjoying this make believe genius’ slow self-immolation. He had it all for a while (fake degree from an Ivy League University, more money than god, other people running his companies making him look business savvy) but he just couldn’t keep his giant, quivering, white, male ego under wraps and has therefore proceeded to publicly dismantle his entire money-insulated cocoon. Too bad he has to take down a valuable social media commons in the process.
different-church-lady
FEDS: “So, umm… tell us more about this graveyard.”
Enhanced Voting Techniques
A katana, of course Elmo own a katana. The dude is just a fifteen year old boi in a fifty year old man’s body.
Miss Bianca
Here’s what I don’t understand. How is it even legal to “district shop” with a suit like this? Fuck it – if X is located in Nevada, and Media Matters is located in Washington DC…
OK, never mind that this is starting to sound like one of those word problems that begin with two trains approaching each other from opposite coasts, in which case, “they meet in Northern Texas!” might be the appropriate answer. If “standing” is a thing (more and more doubtful in the current legal universe), wouldn’t location be considered part of standing? As in, “sorry, you’re not allowed to file this lawsuit in THIS court”?
Villago Delenda Est
(Insert “Sure, Jan” gif here)
brantl
Nothing says self-important 50 year old faat guy incel, like a 50 year old fat guy acting like a 10 year old WATB.
brantl
This clown isn’t a douche canoe, he a douche ocean liner.
Pink Tie
I love the little white dog, though.
Keith P.
There’s a pretty decent chance that Elon Musk’s katana has Randy Jackson’s autograph on the other side..
brantl
He’s finished fights by running away from them.