The game company Cards Against Humanity has sued SpaceX for $15 million, arguing that billionaire Elon Musk's private space-exploration company illegally trespassed on private property in South Texas and damaged the land.
The petition, filed last week in Cameron County state district court, alleges that SpaceX used land Cards Against Humanity owns three miles from the rocket company's launch site in Boca Chica as a construction-staging area without seeking permission.
The dumping of construction materials and heavy equipment at the site has damaged what was once "pristine" land "untouched by human development," the suit further alleges.
SpaceX officials were unavailable for immediate comment on the filing.
Cards Against Humanity bought the property in 2017 to make it difficult for then-President Donald Trump to build the wall he pledged to erect along the U.S.-Mexico border. The game company crowdfunded the effort, and 150,000 people ponied up $15 each to fund the purchase.
Despite being fenced off and marked with a "No Trespassing" sign, Musk's venture began using it as a staging area without permission earlier this year, according to the suit. The petition includes before and after photos that purport to show the once-untouched grassland covered over with gravel and used as a parking area for heavy construction gear.
"In short, SpaceX has treated the Property as its own for at least six (6) months without regard for [Cards Against Humanity’s] property rights nor the safety of anyone entering what has become a worksite that is presumably governed by OSHA safety requirements," the filing states.
If Cards Against Humanity wins the lawsuit, the game company said it would equally distribute proceeds to all 150,000 of its crowdfunding contributors.
The suit is just the latest complaint from neighbors against SpaceX, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency earlier this month fined more than $148,000 over environmental issues at its South Texas site.
Rio Grande Valley environmental groups have also spent years fighting efforts by SpaceX to expand its launch site, arguing that the launches are ecologically damaging. The facility is located next to Boca Chica State Park and the Las Palomas Wildlife Management Area.
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