You might remember the revolutionary game Cards Against Humanity – aka, “Dirty Apples to Apples.” With its adult content and irreverent humor, the simple party game has been a hit, particularly among millennials when it first came out, becoming the best-selling game on Amazon a decade ago. It’s also inspired spin-offs by other companies, including What Do You Meme? and Disturbed Friends.
Although the game has since lost its popularity, its parent company and developer, Cards Against Humanity, LLC (CAH), remains active on both the board game and social media scene. Lately, they’ve seemed to have an affinity for picking on [in]famous billionaires. Many years after targeting former President Donald Trump, the game developers are taking on their next political nemesis: Elon Musk.
Cards For Humanity?
CAH's business model is unique due to its strong relationship with its supporters, which has been present since the company's inception. The initial financing of the company came from crowdfunding campaigns. The original card game was created in 2008 and first funded by supporters on Kickstarter in 2010, and soon, both the original game and the company were quickly embraced by its new constituency.
The founders of CAH claim to be motivated by a commitment to the trust placed in them by their supporters. CAH maintains the game's relevance by continually updating its content to address topical and often controversial social issues, with of course the humorous elements found in the original. The company claims that this ongoing engagement has fostered unprecedented loyalty among its supporters. CAH says that fans of its games expect the company to uphold its politically active persona, particularly in standing against abusive tactics by government and wealthy businesses.
CAH also engages in humorous "pranks" or "stunts" to draw attention to particular issues or individuals. This approach is part of CAH's broader strategy to maintain and honor the trust and support of its community. Two recurring targets of CAH include Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Unfortunately — but perhaps not surprisingly — for the game company, both of these billionaires were involved in a recent conflict that has now prompted legal action by CAH.
CAH Tackles Trump
CAH has actively used its platform and resources to stand against Trump's policies and actions, particularly those perceived as unjust or abusive. Right after Trump was elected president, CAH launched a crowdfunding campaign called “Cards Against Humanity Saves America” and described by the company as “a complicated holiday promotion where 150,000 people paid us $15 to save America.”
The team promised to use the funds to buy a plot of land on the US-Mexico border, which would then be placed in a trust, making it difficult for the government to seize or use the land for a border wall. In addition to buying land, the campaign also aimed to raise awareness about the issues surrounding the border wall, immigration, and the political climate. The campaign was successful, raising over $5 million in just a few weeks. The funds were used to purchase a plot of land in the Rio Grande Valley, which was then placed in a trust to prevent its use for a border wall – an operation known as “Cards Against Humanity Stops the Wall.”
Elon Encroaches
According to CAH, this plot of land was recently encroached on by “an even richer, more racist billionaire,” as they put it. The game developer claims that Elon Musk’s aerospace company, SpaceX, entered the Rio Grande Valley property without permission. SpaceX allegedly cleared the land of vegetation, compacted the soil with gravel, and used the area for parking vehicles, running equipment, and storing construction materials. To put it in CAH lingo, Musk’s people filled the land with “space garbage.” Before SpaceX showed up on the scene, CAH claims that they had “once-verdant land -- where wild horses galloped freely in the Texas moonlight.”
CAH claims that after they “caught” Musk, SpaceX gave them a “12-hour ultimatum to accept a lowball offer for less than half our land’s value.” CAH's counteroffer? A lawsuit.
Lawsuit Launched Against SpaceX
In their complaint, CAH claims that SpaceX's actions have deprived the property owners of the use of their space and even caused damage to the land.
The board game folks claim that SpaceX's activities have “interfered with the use and enjoyment of the Property causing unreasonable discomfort or annoyance.” They also claim that Musk’s company has been unjustly enriched by using the property without compensating the owners. They say that this has have harmed CAH's relationship with its supporters in several ways, but perhaps most importantly, “by creating the impression that there is some association between CAH and SpaceX.” CAH claims that this interference was intentional on SpaceX’s part.
In its lawsuit, CAH is pursuing several legal causes of action against SpaceX, including trespass, nuisance, unjust enrichment, and tortious interference with existing and prospective contracts and business relationships. For these grievances, CAH seeks damages up to $15,000,000, a permanent injunction to prevent further unauthorized use of the property, in addition to recovery of legal costs incurred.
You can read more about the intent of CAH’s lawsuit at their website, ElonOwesYou100Dollars.com. Even if the lawsuit doesn’t go anywhere, it’s bound to be entertaining and a thorn in the side of a billionaire or two.
Related Resources:
- Making Sense of the Ever-Changing Asylum Rules at the U.S.-Mexico Border (FindLaw's Federal Courts)
- Elon Musk Launches Countersuit Against DOJ for SpaceX Immigration Discrimination Claim (FindLaw's Federal Courts)
- What Can You Do About an Encroachment? (FindLaw's Learn About the Law)
