Ashley St Clair accused Elon Musk of financially retaliating against her and their six-month-old son after she filed for sole legal custody.
In a statement given to People on Thursday, St Clair’s legal team alleged, “Elon Musk has financially retaliated against his own child and reduced his financial support substantially and unilaterally.” They claim this action came after St Clair attempted multiple times to settle the matter privately, only resorting to legal action when Musk allegedly refused to engage.
The dispute first surfaced publicly in February when St Clair took to X to claim that she and the billionaire had welcomed a child together last year, accusing him of being an absentee father. Musk, 53, did not publicly respond but allegedly sought legal action, filing for an emergency gag order to prevent St Clair from speaking about him.
“The judge denied the emergency nature of the application, even though it is still pending,” her lawyers said.
“Ashley is vigorously opposing this application in order to preserve her right to speak out—all while Mr. Musk fashions himself a First Amendment warrior and freely communicates via his owned social media platform,” they added, quoted by Page Six.
The statement continued with a pointed remark, “Given that Mr. Musk is dedicated to transparency in government, it would be helpful if he administered his own life by the same principles.”
Musk’s representatives have yet to comment on the allegations.
In her lawsuit, St Clair claimed that she and the Tesla CEO began dating in May 2023, and their child was conceived in January 2024. She accuses Musk of being absent from their child’s upbringing, stating, “I feed him, bathe him and ensure that all his physical and emotional needs are met.” She also claimed, “I am the only parent to make decisions for R.S.C. I schedule and take him to all his medical appointments.”
According to her, Musk has only seen their child three times, with the last visit allegedly taking place in November 2024.
Alongside her request for full custody, St Clair has asked the court to order DNA testing to confirm Musk’s paternity. She also submitted alleged text messages from Musk to support her claims, including one suggestive message where he reportedly said, “I want to knock you up again.”
Musk, who has 13 other children, has yet to publicly acknowledge his relationship with the child.
