Elon Musk’s ex-girlfriend Grimes had sued the tech mogul over parental rights last month. Now, as per reports, Musk is evading being served court papers and Grimes’ lawyers had to chase him in at least 12 locations just to deliver court papers.
In September this year, Elon Musk’s ex-girlfriend Grimes had accused Musk of not letting her see the son she shares with him. She had then demanded that Musk should “respond to her lawyer” and that he is “utterly ripping her family apart.” This was followed by a petition in a California court “to establish a parental relationship.” And now, as per latest reports, Musk is allegedly evading service of child custody papers from Grimes.
According to court documents obtained by Business Insider, Grimes’ lawyers have attempted to serve Musk with the papers at least 12 times in multiple locations, including Tesla’s headquarters in San Francisco, SpaceX’s launch site in Boca Chica, Texas, and a horse farm in Texas. But the Tesla chief is being accused of not receiving these papers.
The process server then went to SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California. However, he was again told by a security guard that Musk was not there and that he could not leave the papers.
Additionally, Grimes’ lawyers have also tried to track down Musk’s private jet, but it lead to nothing. On September 23, 2023, a process server went to the Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles, where Musk’s private jet was parked. The process server waited at the airport for several hours, but Musk did not arrive.
The process server then went to the Boca Chica launch site in Texas, where SpaceX’s Starlink satellites are launched. However, he was again unsuccessful in serving Musk.
On September 27, 2023, a process server went to a horse farm in Texas, where Musk was rumored to be staying. The process server spoke to a woman at the farm, who told him that Musk was not there and that he could not leave the papers.
Grimes’ lawyers have also attempted to serve Musk at his home in Bel-Air, California. However, they have been unsuccessful in gaining access to the property.
Grimes’ lawyers have argued that Musk is deliberately trying to avoid being served with the child custody papers. They have also asked the court to allow them to serve Musk via substitute service, which means that the papers would be served to his employees or other representatives.
If the court grants Grimes’ request for substitute service, Musk would be legally required to respond to the lawsuit. However, it is unclear when or if the court will make a decision on this matter.
Musk’s lawyers, on the other hand, have argued that the Tesla chief is not evading service and that Grimes should have continued trying to serve him properly.
How it all began
In September this year, Grimes had filed for custody of her three children with Musk. This came after the singer had said in a Twitter post that the tech mogul was stopping her from seeing her son
“Tell Shivon to unblock me and tell Elon to let me see my son or plz respond to my lawyer,” Grimes wrote in a now-deleted Twitter post while responding to Walter Isaacson, writer of Musk’s recently-released biography. She added, “I have never been allowed to see a photo of these children until this moment, despite the situation utterly ripping my family apart.”
Grimes had later apologised to Isaacson and had said that she wants to de-escalate the narrative. Shivon Zilis has two children with Musk and is the director of Neuralink.
“I truly apologize for responding to Walter like that. As u can imagine, that was a very gut level reaction to a thing that has been very hard for me. Communication about the twins wasn’t handled super well in the past, but I now totally understand what happened and totally forgive the situation. Women are so often pitted against each other. Speaking with Shivon, it’s very evident she’s an amazing human and we both just want what’s best for our kids,” she had written back then.
Grimes, legally known as Claire Boucher, gave birth to her and Musk’s firstborn, a son named X Æ A-Xii, in May 2020. In December 2021, the two welcomed a daughter, Exa Dark Sideræl, aka Y, via surrogate. In September this year, Isaacson’s biography on Musk revealed that the billionaire and Grimes also had a third child, a boy named Techno Mechanicus.
