A Philadelphia judge has ordered Elon Musk, along with all parties, to appear Thursday at a court hearing over the tech billionaire's $1 million election giveaway scheme.
The hearing will address a lawsuit seeking to halt the political action committee (PAC) from awarding $1 million to registered U.S. voters in battleground states ahead of the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election.
The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office filed the lawsuit Monday. It called the giveaway by Musk's America PAC, which backs Republican former President Donald Trump, an “illegal lottery” enticing Pennsylvania residents to share personal data.
"It is further ordered that all parties must be present at the time of the hearing," a judge wrote Wednesday in an order with the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas. The hearing in the case was moved up to Thursday morning from Friday.
Trump faces Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in what polls show to be a tight race for the White House.
Representatives for America PAC and Musk did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Musk had promised $1 million daily to individuals who signed his online free-speech and gun-rights petition. Legal experts have offered mixed opinions on whether this giveaway violates federal laws prohibiting payments or offers of payment to influence voter registration.
The Justice Department sent a letter to America PAC warning that the billionaire's giveaways for registered voters who sign his petition may violate federal law, CNN reported last week.
The Trump campaign is broadly reliant on outside groups for canvassing voters, meaning the super PAC founded by Musk – the world's richest man – plays an outsized role in what is expected to be a razor-thin election.
