Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

Elon Musk lawyer quotes Eminem lyrics in latest SEC legal filing

Elon Musk lawyer quotes Eminem lyrics in latest SEC legal filing

Billionaire Elon Musk's latest court filing in his legal battle against the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) quotes rapper Eminem.

In an effort to throw out his 2018 agreement with the top U.S. securities regulator requiring the Tesla, Inc. co-founder to obtain pre-approval for his tweets, Musk's lawyer Alex Spiro referenced the 2002 song "Without Me."

"The (SEC) won't let me be or let me be me so let me see; They tried to shut me down," he said.

Eminem's original lyrics swipe at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

"The FCC won’t let me be or let me be me so let me see/ They tried to shut me down on MTV," the rapper, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, wrote.

The FCC had tried to fine a Colorado radio station for playing Eminem's 2000 song "The Real Slim Shady;" the FCC ultimately relented.

Elon Musk, Tesla CEO, attends the opening of the Tesla factory Berlin Brandenburg in Gruenheide, Germany, Tuesday, March 22, 2022.


Musk's attorney noted that 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."

He also renewed efforts to reject an SEC subpoena for details on whether Musk and Tesla are complying with their disclosure requirements under the 2018 consent decree.

Spiro said the SEC issued its subpoena in bad faith and called requiring lawyers to vet Musk's tweets unconstitutional – a violation of the First Amendment.

In a February motion filed with the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Musk and Tesla accused the SEC of targeting him with "unrelenting" investigations in an attempt to "chill his exercise of First Amendment rights."

Spiro also said that an Aug. 7, 2018, tweet that Musk had "funding secured" to potentially take the auto company private was truthful.

The regulator filed a lawsuit against Musk in 2018, claiming the statements in that tweet were "false and misleading" and that Musk "knew or was reckless in not knowing" that his statements were false and/or misleading.

Spiro has argued that the SEC cannot take action related to Musk's tweets without court authorization, emphasizing that the 2018 settlement was reached when Tesla was a less mature company.

The SEC – which is investigating a Nov. 6, 2021, tweet probing Musk's followers regarding whether he should sell 10% of his Tesla stake to cover tax bills on stock options – said Musk should not be excused from the agreement because he found compliance "less convenient than he had hoped."

They said earlier in March that they have the legal authority to subpoena Tesla and Musk, calling his challenge "frivolous."

The subpoenas, issued under seal, seek all written communications concerning the Nov. 6 tweets and whether they were shown to Tesla lawyers for pre-approval.

"Courts have long recognized that ‘Congress has vested the SEC with broad authority to conduct investigations into possible violations of federal securities laws and to demand production of evidence relevant to such investigations,’" SEC attorney Melissa Armstrong said.

Musk has said he felt pressured to settle with the commission because its action "stood to jeopardize the company’s financing," saying the agency has not yet distributed the fine money to Tesla shareholders as was required.

The SEC said it expected a plan to distribute the funds to receive court approval by the end of last month, according to The Verge.

Reuters reported that the case, SEC v Musk, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 18-08865, is being overseen by U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan.

Fox Business' request for comment from the SEC was not immediately returned.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
×