Elon Musk brought up Eminem in a legal battle with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
According to documents obtained by The Verge, Elon Musk referenced Eminem’s song “Without Me” in a court filing. The billionaire compared Slim Shady’s past issues with the FCC to a consent decree allegedly hindering the Tesla CEO’s free speech.
“The First Amendment requires that agencies proceed with caution when constitutional rights are at stake, not seek to pursue any and all novel theories that broaden their authority at the cost of individual freedom,” the filing reads. “Compare Eminem, “Without Me” (2002) (‘The [SEC] won’t let me be or let me be me so let me see / They tried to shut me down . . .’) with Citadel Broad. Co., Mem. Op. and Order, 17 F.C.C. Rcd 483 (2002) (rescinding penalty against radio station for playing Eminem song and noting ‘the First Amendment is a critical constitutional limitation that demands we proceed cautiously and with appropriate restraint’).”
Elon Musk faced scrutiny from the SEC for allegedly making false and misleading statements. The government took issue with him claiming he secured funds to take Tesla private on Twitter. He reached a settlement with the SEC in 2018.
As part of the deal, the SEC required monitoring of Elon Musk’s statements about Tesla on social media. A lawyer essentially became his “Twitter sitter,” reviewing potential posts before the Tesla boss shared his thoughts online.
Elon Musk wants a judge to terminate the consent decree. If granted, he’ll be able to post on Twitter without the SEC’s restrictions.
