Cards Against Humanity sued SpaceX for €13 million for illegally trespassing on their land in Texas, holding billionaire Elon Musk, personally accountable.
Cards Against Humanity battle SpaceX in Texas
In 2017, when former US President Donald Trump claimed to “build a wall,” between Mexico and the US to prevent migrants from crossing the border, the “politically incorrect,” game developers Cards Against Humanity, declared their stance on the issue, purchasing land in Texas, which could have been used by Trump´s government to build the wall.
The popular party game maker managed to raise the money for the purchase with donations from 150,000 subscribers, particularly fans of their Cards Against Humanity Saves America set, which features political references and has now become out of stock in most stores. This month (September 2024), the company issued a public report, claiming that SpaceX used their land in Texas without permission, clearing vegetation to park vehicles, store gravel, and run generators.
“CAH acquired the Property for the sole purpose of ensuring that it would stay that way,” stated the report. The game developers claimed that Musk “figured he could just dump his s***t all over our gorgeous plot of land without asking,” which has not only led to property damage but has threatened “CAH´s relationship with its paying supporters.”
The Chicago-based company shared that SpaceX gave them a “12-hour ultimatum to accept a lowball offer for less than half our land´s value,” which they immediately rejected and proceeded to file a legal suit against the Musk´s company, demanding €13 million for the damage.
CAH also launched a website named elonowesyou100dollars, offering the original subscribers to the Save America campaign to gain $100 (€89) should they win the suit against Musk. Neither SpaceX nor Elon Musk have commented publicly on the matter.
Elon Musk´s presence in Texas; Trespassing Cards Against Humanity and more
Cards Against Humanity are arguably equally “politically incorrect,” to Musk, who has never been shy of expressing his views on US politics and endorsing former President Donald Trump. Musk has been systematically relocating many of his businesses, including SpaceX, Tesla, and X to Texas, where both he and Trump have strong influence.
American media outlet CNBS had previously reported that SpaceX had violated environmental regulations at its Texas launch facility in Rio Grande, on the Gulf of Mexico, by repeatedly releasing pollutants into or near bodies of water. One of former SpaceX employees, Joe Gardner also spoke out about the company´s “rushed” project in Cameron County; “The company´s attitude was to move ahead without asking permission and apologise later.”
Indeed, County records showed that SpaceX built in the area without permission on more than one instance. In Brownsville, Texas, however, federal data proved that SpaceX has generated more than 2,100 direct jobs by launching rockets from a region, that once had among the highest poverty and unemployment rates in the country. This year, SpaceX reported to Cameron County officials that they raised the “economic value” in the area to $6,5 billion (€5, 8 billion) annually.
In 2023, a Texas homeowner Keith Reynolds was the first to notice SpaceX builders suddenly starting to store construction materials in the plot owned by Cards Against Humanity. He initially called SpaceX to report the crime but after receiving no response, informed CAH, who are still yet to receive even a claim of responsibility from Musk.
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