The creators of the raunchy tabletop game Cards Against Humanity have sued Elon Musk’s SpaceX over allegations the company illegally trespassed on its plot of American land situated along the Texas-Mexico border.
The Cards Against Humanity creators purchased the land near Brownsville, Texas, in 2017 as part a stunt to halt then-president Donald Trump from building a sprawling border wall. The game makers crowdfunded the effort, with about 150,000 supporters donating US$15 (C$20) to fund the land purchase.
Now, Cards Against Humanity is suing SpaceX for US$15 million (about C$20.2 million) over claims the spacecraft manufacturer dumped building materials, cleared vegetation and parked vehicles on the vacant land without permission.
“Seven years ago, 150,000 people paid us $15 to protect a pristine parcel of land on the US-Mexico border from racist billionaire Donald Trump’s very stupid wall,” Cards Against Humanity wrote in a statement. “Unfortunately, an even richer, more racist billionaire—Elon Musk—snuck up on us from behind and completely f—ed that land with gravel, tractors, and space garbage.”
SpaceX, as well as Elon Musk, have not publicly responded to the lawsuit.
According to Cards Against Humanity, SpaceX dumped equipment and supplies on the “gorgeous plot of land” without permission amid aerospace construction nearby.
The game makers claim Musk offered a “12-hour ultimatum to accept a lowball offer” for less than half of the land’s original value. Cards Against Humanity rejected the deal.
“We said, ‘Go f— yourself, Elon Musk. We’ll see you in court,’” the card game creators described.
Should it win the $15-million lawsuit, Cards Against Humanity promised to pay the original 150,000 supporters an equal split of the proceeds, up to US$100 each.
“We promised we’d use every legal tool at our disposal to protect this land from bullies like Trump and Musk,” wrote Cards Against Humanity. “If we don’t take action now, why would anyone ever trust us again?”
Cards Against Humanity signed the statement, “With great vengeance and furious anger.”
Game creators said this mission is in direct contrast to Musk’s “tolerating racism and sexism at Tesla,” Musk’s amplification of the antisemitic “great replacement” theory, and his public support for Trump’s border wall.
Cards Against Humanity submitted several photos within the lawsuit, which it claims are before-and-after images of the land. In the submissions before the alleged SpaceX trespassing, the land is lush and green, with cacti on the property. In the after set, the ground is dust, and the land is littered with construction materials and vehicles including excavators.
Nearby the Cards Against Humanity land, SpaceX has developed its Starbase industrial complex, which serves as headquarters for the company close to the mouth of the Rio Grande. The property features one of four active SpaceX launch sites, as well as facilities for rocket production and testing.
Though SpaceX has brought more than 2,100 direct jobs and development to southern Texas, the company’s presence has not been without complaints. This week, Reuters released an extensive report claiming locals in the area of and around Brownsville, Texas, have faced higher property taxes as a result of SpaceX’s expeditious growth.
Some Texans in the region have accused local and state officials of favouritism, conflicts of interest and a lack of accountability over SpaceX’s operations.