SpaceX has reportedly settled a $15 million trespassing lawsuit filed by the makers of the card game Cards Against Humanity (CAH), ending a long legal battle over a patch of Texas land that was purchased as a political statement.
The lawsuit, which pitted Elon Musk’s space program against the Chicago-based game company with a penchant for political stunts, revolved around the use of a 20-acre plot just north of the U.S.-Mexico border in Cameron County, Texas.
CAH was purchased in 2017 with customer donations to disrupt the construction of the border wall. CAH accused SpaceX of using land as a dumping ground for gravel, tractors, and construction equipment, according to Space.com.
“We have terrible news. Seven years ago, 150,000 people paid us $15 to protect a pristine parcel of land on the US-Mexico border from racist billionaire Donald Trump’s very stupid wall. Unfortunately, an even richer, more racist billionaire⸺Elon Musk⸺snuck up on us from behind and completely f*cked that land with gravel, tractors, and space garbage,” CAH posted to a side-website they purchased to push political messagesing.
Court records now show the settlement was finalized last month in a Cameron County District Court, narrowly missing a scheduled November 3 jury trial.
Some of the financial details in the case remain undisclosed to the public, though CAH reportedly sought $15 million in damages for claims of “encroachment and environmental harm” to the piece of land.
“The upside is that SpaceX has removed their construction equipment from our land and we’re able to work with a local landscaping company to restore the land to its natural state: devoid of space garbage and pointless border walls,” CAH wrote in an update to supporters who collectively funded the 2017 purchase through the “Cards Against Humanity Saves America” campaign.
The land’s transformation from wild grassland to a more industrial area began in 2023, as SpaceX expanded its nearby Starbase facility.
CAH’s original crowdfunding raised millions, with each $15 donation securing a tiny fractional ownership stake in what was marketed as “America’s most useless acre.”
At first, the card company promised that any lawsuit proceeds would be evenly distributed among participants:
However, the company now appears to be telling supporters they will not receive any of Musk’s promised money; instead, they can register to receive another pack of cards:
CAH has not responded to The Dallas Express’ inquiry for comment.