Elon Musk will go on trial after he called a British diver who rescued boys trapped in a Thai cave a paedophile, a court has ruled.
A federal judge in Los Angeles rejected the billionaire's attempt to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed by Vernon Unsworth and set a trial date of 22 October.
Unsworth claims the Tesla chief executive defamed him with "unlawful, unsupportable and reprehensible accusations", according to court documents filed in California and seen by Sky News.
Musk called Unsworth a "pedo" in post on his Twitter account last July after the diver dismissed his attempts to help rescue the young Thai football players as a "PR stunt".
Unsworth was part of the team of international divers who successfully rescued all 12 youngsters and their football coach when they became trapped for two weeks by rising waters in a Thai cave complex.
Unsworth is seeking more than $75,000 (£58,000) in damages, while the lawsuit also seeks a court order prohibiting Musk from making any further disparaging comments.