What were the charges against Elon Musk’s SpaceX? Complete controversy explained as Cards Against Humanity takes a partial win in legal battle

Elon Musk’s aerospace company, SpaceX, has reached a settlement in a lawsuit filed by Cards Against Humanity over allegations of trespassing and property damage on a small parcel of land near the southern Texas border, according to court records.

The case had been scheduled for trial in November. Still, both parties agreed to resolve the dispute earlier, on September 15, in the District Court in Cameron County, Texas, home to SpaceX’s launch site and the surrounding Starbase area.

Cards Against Humanity and Elon Musk’s SpaceX reach settlement over alleged trespassing

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Cards Against Humanity reaches settlement with SpaceX over Texas land dispute

The card game company from Texas demanded $15 million in damages, claiming that SpaceX had placed construction equipment on its land without permission and removed the natural vegetation there. In a statement to The New York Times, Cards Against Humanity said,

"We’re happy to have stood up to a bully like Musk."

Court records and news reports indicate that the disputed land spans approximately 0.3936 acres and is located in the Tarpon Haven subdivision, near the Rio Grande. The lawsuit included photos comparing the land before and after, showing plants removed, heavy equipment placed, and gravel spread. The company argued that the area became a work zone for at least half a year.

Cards Against Humanity shared that it purchased the land in 2017 using money raised by fans through a crowdfunding campaign. Approximately 150,000 people contributed $15 each to support the project. This was part of a publicity stunt aimed at blocking the construction of a border wall in the region. At the time, the company explained it aimed to make it as costly and time-wasting as possible for Trump to build his wall.

The lawsuit also noted that SpaceX owns several other parcels of land along the same road. The details of the settlement haven’t been revealed yet, including any payouts. Cards Against Humanity did confirm, though, that SpaceX admitted to trespassing during the legal proceedings.

The company stated that the settlement allows them to clear the site of construction equipment and restore the land to its original state.

“A trial would have cost more than what we were likely to win from SpaceX,” the company said in its statement. “The upside is that SpaceX has removed their construction equipment from our land and we’re able to work with a local landscaping company to restore the land to its natural state: devoid of space garbage and pointless border walls.”

Cards Against Humanity mentioned that they might share a portion of the settlement funds with the fans who helped buy the land, although each person is likely to receive a small amount.

SpaceX and its team have stayed silent about how the case was resolved.