A defamation lawsuit is being filed against the owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, Elon Musk by a 22-year-old man who is claiming to have been falsely accused of being a neo-Nazi.

The lawsuit alleges that Musk’s reckless conduct on social media, despite being informed of the young man’s innocence, led to the severe tarnishing of his reputation and subjected him and his family to weeks of harassment and threats,

Attorney-at-Law Mark Bankston, known for successfully discrediting controversial conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in a defamation lawsuit back in 2018, has announced that he has filed a similar lawsuit against Tesla and SpaceX billionaire, Musk.

According to Bankston, the saga began during Portland’s Pride Night on June 24, when multiple right-wing extremist groups attended the event with the intent to intimidate and disrupt the celebration. A street brawl erupted between two rival extremist groups, the Proud Boys and the Rose City Nationalists, leading to the unmasking of two members of the latter group.

The incident was caught on video and went viral on June 25, prompting online influencers to seek the identity of the unmasked members.

Amidst the chaos, an anonymous Internet user falsely identified a young man, Ben Brody, as one of the unmasked extremists based on a passing resemblance. The social media post from Brody’s Jewish fraternity at UC Riverside, stating his post-college career plans to work for the government, further fuelled accusations of his involvement in a “false flag” operation.

The situation escalated when a Dogecoin-themed Twitter user brought the accusations to Elon Musk’s attention on June 25, to which Musk responded with a tweet that said, “Very odd.” While not overtly defamatory, Musk’s response amplified the false accusations.

Despite numerous Twitter users attempting to inform Musk of Brody’s innocence and providing evidence to the contrary, Musk continued to engage with the accusations. On June 27, Musk responded to a tweet from the notorious blog “ZeroHedge,” declaring, “Looks like one is a college student (who wants to join the gov’t) and another is maybe an Antifa member, but nonetheless a probable false flag situation.” This statement, clearly referring to Ben, intensified the attacks against him.

The aftermath of Musk’s endorsement of the false allegations left Ben and his family subjected to doxxing, harassment, and threats. Ben’s reputation was severely damaged, and he experienced significant emotional distress during a pivotal moment in his life as he transitioned from college to his career.

Despite being informed by his attorneys about the situation, Musk refused to issue a retraction, apologise, or engage in a discussion about the defamation claim. Instead, he indicated that he might seek to shift legal fees if Ben pursued a lawsuit, a move that would place an enormous burden on the young man.

“Brody, however, remains resolute in seeking justice. He has chosen to pursue a lawsuit against Elon Musk, driven by a desire to clear his name and hold Musk accountable for his actions,” said Bankston.

“Musk will not stop until someone stops him. It seems that responsibility now falls upon a shy 22-year-old whose life has been shaken by Musk’s reckless conduct. I am honored to assist him,” he continued.