Cards Against Humanity, the party game company regarded for its edgy humor, has reached a resolution in its trespassing lawsuit against SpaceX, a year after the initial complaint and a profanity-filled marketing push aimed at Elon Musk’s space company.
At the center of the disagreement was a parcel of land along the Rio Grande River in Texas’ Cameron County, acquired by Cards Against Humanity in 2017. This purchase was financed through crowdfunding, amassing 150,000 individual donations of $15 ($2.25 million in total) from individuals wanting to aid in preventing the construction of President Donald Trump’s border wall.
The land was incidentally situated adjacent to SpaceX’s Starbase rocket complex, a launch site for the company’s spacecraft. This became problematic in 2024 when Cards Against Humanity accused SpaceX of trespassing and unlawfully depositing construction equipment and supplies on their property. (Neither SpaceX nor its lawyer responded to requests for comments.)
The settlement terms remain confidential. Cards Against Humanity initially sought $15 million and had informed donors that it aimed to distribute up to $100 each from any proceeds. However, supporters will not be receiving cash; instead, they have the option to receive “a brand new mini-pack of exclusive cards all about Elon Musk,” a specialized addition for the well-known game, as detailed in a recent email.
“We’re happy to have stood up to a bully like Musk. We’re happy to have forced a settlement,” Cards Against Humanity communicated to TechCrunch in a statement. The company asserts that SpaceX has since taken away its construction equipment and that Cards Against Humanity is now “working to restore [the land] to its natural state: devoid of space garbage and pointless border walls.”
Cards Against Humanity utilized crowdfunding in 2017 to buy the land, amassing 150,000 donations of $15 each (totaling $2.25 million) from backers who wished to impede the border wall’s construction.
The land is located alongside the Rio Grande River in Cameron County, Texas, situated next to the location where SpaceX has been developing its Starbase rocket complex, used as a launch facility for the company’s spacecraft. The situation escalated last year when Cards Against Humanity leveled accusations against SpaceX for both trespassing on the property and for the unauthorized disposal of construction equipment and materials. (SpaceX and its attorney have not commented following requests.)
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“Unfortunately, an even richer, more racist billionaire – Elon Musk – snuck up on us from behind and completely f—-d your land with gravel, tractors, and space garbage,” Cards Against Humanity conveyed to the same supporters in an email last year.
The gaming organization initiated a $15 million lawsuit against SpaceX, promising to equitably distribute any compensation to its backers — up to $100 for each person. They even created a website named “www.ElonOwesYou100Dollars.com.”
Cards Against Humanity stated that its “longstanding reputation as a company that makes outrageous promises and actually keeps them is on the line.” But the company also warned those supporters in the email that “Musk has way more money and lawyers than we do, so you’ll probably get, like, $2 tops.”
Now, they won’t even receive that sum.
“So while we can’t give you what you really wanted––cash money from Elon Musk––we’re going to make it up to you, our best, sexiest customers…with comedy!” the company shared in the email sent on Monday, in reference to the new card mini-pack.
The legal proceedings progressed quickly. The two parties had concluded the discovery phase, during which they shared relevant evidence before the trial, and a trial was scheduled for November. Cards Against Humanity informed TechCrunch on Monday that SpaceX conceded to the trespass during discovery, which the gaming company described as “a real vindication.”
Cards Against Humanity stated on Monday that it was “prepared to go to trial and we’re confident we would have won.” But the company ultimately decided that a trial “would have cost more than what we were likely to win from SpaceX.”
“Under Texas law, we likely wouldn’t be able to recoup our legal fees. We had the truth on our side, but Musk and SpaceX could easily outspend us,” the company stated.
Musk is renowned for his eagerness to challenge perceived adversaries — and those of his firms — in legal settings. He once stated that Tesla’s “hardcore litigation department” would “never surrender/settle an unjust case against us, even if we will probably lose.”
Despite this, settlements involving Musk and his companies are frequent. This Cards Against Humanity case is not an isolated incident this year. Earlier in the month, X reached a settlement regarding claims brought forward by former Twitter executives. Similarly, Tesla has settled several cases related to Autopilot. However, Tesla chose not to settle one Autopilot case, resulting in one of its most prominent court defeats to date.
