Elon Musk wins lawsuit brought by British cave diver he called a ‘pedo guy’

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk won a defamation lawsuit Friday that was brought against him by a British cave explorer, whom Musk had referred to as “pedo guy” on Twitter.

“My faith in humanity is restored,” the billionaire said on his way out of the Los Angeles federal court room Friday.

The plaintiff, Vernon Unsworth, 64, and his legal team were seeking a ruling of $190 million, but the jury did not agree with them, Buzzfeed News reports.

In a series of tweets in July 2018, Musk insulted Unsworth, calling him a “pedo guy.” The tweets came after Unsworth — who was instrumental in rescuing a boys soccer team and its coach from a cave system in Thailand a month earlier — gave an interview, in which he said Musk only became involved in the rescue as a publicity stunt.

While Musk eventually deleted the tweets, in August 2018 the billionaire reportedly sent an email to a BuzzFeed News reporter suggesting that Unsworth was a “child rapist” who had taken a 12-year-old “child bride,” the outlet reported.

Unsworth’s legal team tried to use Musk’s email to highlight his state of mind when he initially made his July 2018 tweets. His team also showed how Musk had a private investigator look into Unsworth.

But, after hearing Musk testify Tuesday and Wednesday, the L.A.-based jury decided in Musk’s favor.