Elon Musk Summoned to Court for 13th Child Custody Hearing
Elon Musk Taylor Hill/Getty Images
Elon Musk has been summoned to court as Ashley St. Clair files a lawsuit for custody of their alleged child.
According to a report from People, published on Friday, February 28, an updated court filing indicates that lawyers for St. Clair, 26, have requested the 53-year-old billionaire’s presence at the New York County Courthouse in New York City on May 29. At that hearing, Musk’s legal team will have the opportunity to argue for his exemption from both a paternity test and granting St. Clair sole custody of their alleged 5-month-old child, referenced in court documents as R.S.C.
New York Supreme Court Judge Jeffrey H. Pearlman will also consider arguments regarding whether Musk should be mandated to pay child support. (It has been reported that Musk has 14 children with various women.)
St. Clair’s legal representatives assert that Musk has not yet acknowledged the court notice either directly or through his legal counsel.
“Despite requests, Mr. Musk has yet to accept service of the motion papers through his supposed attorneys, which is a straightforward process,” stated St. Clair’s attorney Karen B. Rosenthal in a comment to People.
“By avoiding personal service, he has extended the litigation and caused unnecessary distress. It’s important to note that no lawyer has joined the NYSCEF system claiming to represent Mr. Musk,” Rosenthal added. “We lack an appropriate contact for communication. It’s simply unnecessary gamesmanship when an infant is involved.”
An evidence filing obtained by People also indicated St. Clair’s lawyers are requesting that the case be held in New York City.
“We aim to avoid attempting service at the White House and other sensitive locations,” one of St. Clair’s attorneys mentioned in an email noted in the evidence filing, as reported by the outlet. “Attempting service at the White House would, in our view, reflect poorly on Elon, and Ashley would prefer to avoid that.”
Us Weekly has sought comments from representatives for St. Clair.
St. Clair, a children’s book author recognized for Elephants Are Not Birds, filed a petition in New York Supreme Court on February 21, seeking sole custody of R.S.C. In the petition, she claimed Musk is the father but has “only met him three times” and “has no role in his care or upbringing.”
On February 14, the author stated on X that she had welcomed Musk’s 13th child five months prior. Her petition also claimed the child was born in September 2024.
“Five months ago, I welcomed a new baby into the world. Elon Musk is the father,” she shared at the time. “I refrained from disclosing this earlier to protect our child’s privacy and safety, but it has now become evident that tabloid media intends to unveil it, regardless of the potential harm.”
In the same month St. Clair filed her petition, it was revealed that Musk had welcomed his 14th child, Seldon Lycurgus, with Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis—the couple’s fourth child together—who announced the birth via X on Friday, February 28. The exact date of the child’s birth was not disclosed.
The pair previously had twins, Strider and Azure, in November 2021, and reportedly had their third child in June 2024. Musk also has six children with ex-wife Justine Wilson, whom he divorced in 2008: twins Vivian and Griffin, both 20, and triplets Kai, Saxon, and Damian, all 18. The couple also shared a son, Nevada, who tragically passed away from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) at 10 weeks old. Additionally, Musk has three children with the singer Grimes.
