Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, officially filed a complaint against Joy Behar and the famous television program “The View” for defamation, demanding damages up to $ 70 million. The case was only reported 15 minutes after the submission of the legal file before a federal court in California. According to the content of the trial, Musk alleged that Joy Behar’s comments in the recent program have seriously damaged his reputation and his personal image as well as his business.

The incident started when, in a recent broadcast of “The View”, Joy Behar made comments related to Elon Musk’s behavior and commercial decisions. According to Musk, these declarations are slanderous, not based on the truth and are presented in a way that makes viewers understand it badly. The trial stresses that these declarations not only reduce Musk’s reputation in the personal aspect, but also negatively affect the companies he directs, notably Tesla, SpaceX and the social networking platform.

The lawyers representing Elon Musk said that legal action this time was to send a clear message that the dissemination of false information under the coverage “comment” or “entertainment” was unacceptable. They also pointed out that freedom of expression does not mean defaming others. Meanwhile, the “The View” program has not yet commented on this trial, and Joy Behar did not appear before the media to respond to allegations.

This event immediately attracted great attention from the public and the media. Some Musk supporters, saying that he has the right to protect personal honor and commercial reputation against false information. On the contrary, some other opinions fear that the trial can create a bad precedent, affect press freedom and the right to express their opinions in the public communication environment.

Although the incident will have to wait for the court to examine and the rules, it shows the growing teeth relationship between celebrities and the media. In the context of strong social networks, the border between information, rumors and slander is increasingly weak. The Musk’s trial can become a typical case in the redefinition of the limit of freedom of expression in the digital age.