During the 2024 presidential campaign, Elon Musk promised Pennsylvanians a $100 reward for signing a petition supporting freedom of speech and gun ownership. The billionaire also offered $47 to those who recruited petition signers, increasing their payment to $100 as election day approached.
Musk's American PAC canvas, which has now collected signatures in Pennsylvania, says Musk has failed to pay him with a signature worth $20,000. A worker who filed the lawsuit as John Do on Tuesday for privacy reasons accused Musk of breach of contract and failing to fulfill his promise to pay by November 30th.
The suit filed as a class action against Musk and his Super PAC in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania allows plaintiffs to sign petitions or collect signatures from others to seek payment. Several other workers at Musk's PAC could be involved in the lawsuit, according to the filing.
Musk and his lawyer representing his super PAC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The US PAC says on its website it paid the majority of people who signed the Pennsylvania petition.
“In line with the November 30 payment target we set for ourselves, America PAC is already mailing out the majority of checks owed to eligible referrals and petition signers,” says Super PAC's frequently asked questions page. “If you haven't received your payment yet, that doesn't necessarily mean you won't.”
Musk's petition payment promise was part of a broader strategy to extend his wealth towards Election Day. On the last day of the campaign, he intensified his efforts by committing to joining the signer with a $1 million prize each day. The Philadelphia district attorney challenged the giveaway and called it an illegal lottery, but Musk's team allowed him to continue after claiming that the winner was not chosen by chance but was paid in part on a personal story and “fitness.”
Musk continues to use his wealth to encourage voters to support conservative causes. On his visit to Wisconsin on Sunday, Musk handed out two checks, $1 million, to local voters who signed a petition in favor of the state's Supreme Court's conservative candidate. (For 12 hours, Musk had a suspicious plan to hold a sweepstakes only to Wisconsin residents who had already voted but had betrayed him in the face of legal scrutiny.)
