A Pennsylvania man says Elon Musk‘s promise turned into a financial nightmare—and he’s taking it to court. The man, referred to as “John Doe” in court documents for his safety, filed a class-action lawsuit April 1 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
He claims Musk’s America Political Action Committee owes him at least $20,000 for voter referrals tied to a petition push that offered cash for signatures. According to the lawsuit, the PAC promised $100 per signature and another $100 for every successful referral during the 2024 election campaign.
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When a $100 Promise Turns Into a $5 Million Headache
The initiative targeted swing states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and encouraged voters to support petitions tied to free speech and gun rights. The plaintiff says he was paid his hourly canvassing wage and received partial referral payments—but a substantial chunk, amounting to $20,000, never came through.
According to WHYY, he repeatedly contacted America PAC in hopes of receiving the remainder but got no response. His lawsuit, which seeks a jury trial, alleges breach of contract and states the plaintiff suffered “significant emotional and physical distress,” including damage to his credit and health due to missed bills.
Speaking to Business Insider, plaintiff attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan said, “Our client relied on that promise because he believed in Elon, but unfortunately, that promise was not kept. It appears the promise was broken for many others as well.” “He relied on these payments to pay his bills—but they never came.”
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The complaint also says that over 100 people might be in the same situation, pushing potential claims above $5 million.
America PAC spokesperson Andrew Romeo told Business Insider that the organization “is committed to paying for every legitimate petition signature” and has “paid tens of millions of dollars to canvassers.” Romeo added that while they cannot verify John Doe’s specific claims, the PAC has the right to withhold payments from “fraudsters.”
The lawsuit adds another layer to Musk’s already controversial 2024 campaign efforts. In addition to the $100-per-signature initiative, America PAC launched a $1 million-per-day sweepstakes to boost voter turnout.
However, the Department of Justice warned that this could violate federal election laws. Philadelphia District Attorney, Larry Krasner, even filed a lawsuit calling the program an “illegal lottery scheme.”
A Pennsylvania judge allowed the giveaway to continue, ruling it didn’t legally constitute a lottery. According to PBS Wisconsin, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul challenged the sweepstakes' legality under election bribery laws, but the state’s Supreme Court declined to intervene.
The program went ahead. Notably, just before the Wisconsin Supreme Court election earlier this month, Musk’s PAC handed out two $1 million checks to voters who’d signed the petitions, per Wisconsin Examiner.
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