Cards Against Humanity Settles Lawsuit Against SpaceX Over Trespass
▼ Summary
– Cards Against Humanity settled its trespassing lawsuit against SpaceX over land the game company purchased in 2017 to block the border wall.
– The dispute involved SpaceX allegedly trespassing on the Texas property and dumping construction equipment there, which SpaceX admitted to during discovery.
– Settlement terms were not disclosed, but supporters who funded the land purchase will receive a mini-pack of Elon Musk-themed cards instead of cash payments.
– Cards Against Humanity stated they settled to avoid higher legal costs, believing they would have won at trial but couldn’t recoup fees under Texas law.
– The company confirmed SpaceX has removed its equipment, and they are restoring the land to its natural state, framing the outcome as standing up to a bully.
The legal confrontation between Cards Against Humanity and SpaceX has reached a quiet conclusion, with the famously provocative game maker settling its trespassing lawsuit against Elon Musk’s aerospace venture. This resolution arrives a full year after the initial complaint was lodged, accompanied by a characteristically sharp-tongued promotional blitz aimed squarely at the billionaire entrepreneur.
Central to the disagreement was a parcel of land in Cameron County, Texas, which Cards Against Humanity acquired back in 2017. The purchase was made possible through a unique crowdfunding effort, where 150,000 supporters each contributed $15, raising a total of $2.25 million. The collective goal was to obstruct the development of the border wall proposed during Donald Trump’s presidency. This particular property sits adjacent to the location where SpaceX has been constructing its Starbase rocket launch facility. Tensions escalated in 2024 when the game company formally accused SpaceX of unauthorized entry onto the land, alleging that construction materials and equipment had been improperly dumped there. Representatives for SpaceX did not provide any comment regarding these allegations.
Specific details of the settlement remain confidential. Initially, Cards Against Humanity had pursued $15 million in damages, promising the original donors up to $100 each from any potential award. Instead of a monetary payout, those backers are now being offered a special edition card pack themed around Elon Musk. In a recent email to its community, the company explained the situation with its trademark irreverence, stating, “So while we can’t give you what you really wanted––cash money from Elon Musk––we’re going to make it up to you, our best, sexiest customers…with comedy!”
The company expressed satisfaction with the outcome in a public statement, declaring, “We’re happy to have stood up to a bully like Musk. We’re happy to have forced a settlement.” They confirmed that SpaceX has since cleared its equipment from the site and that efforts are underway to return the land to its natural condition, free from what they colorfully termed “space garbage and pointless border walls.” This settlement follows a notably aggressive marketing push last year, which included a website named “www.ElonOwesYou100Dollars.com” and an email to supporters that bluntly described Musk as “an even richer, more racist billionaire” who had damaged the property.
The legal proceedings had advanced rapidly, with both parties completing the evidence-sharing discovery phase and a trial scheduled for November. During discovery, SpaceX admitted to the trespass, a point Cards Against Humanity highlighted as a significant moral victory. The game company stated it was fully prepared for trial and confident in its chances of winning. However, they ultimately concluded that the financial burden of a prolonged court battle would likely exceed any potential monetary award, especially since Texas law generally does not allow for the recovery of legal fees in such cases. They noted that while truth was on their side, Musk and his corporation possessed vastly greater resources to fund a legal fight.
Elon Musk has built a reputation for vigorously defending his companies in court, once famously vowing that Tesla’s litigation team would “never surrender/settle an unjust case against us.” Despite this stance, settlements are not uncommon. The resolution with Cards Against Humanity marks at least the second high-profile settlement for one of Musk’s enterprises this year, following a separate agreement with former Twitter executives. Tesla has also chosen to settle numerous lawsuits related to its Autopilot system, though one case it decided to fight resulted in a notable courtroom defeat.
(Source: TechCrunch)
