Tech billionaire Elon Musk has confirmed that the social media platform X will be picking up the tab for the remainder of an anti-lockdown Canadian doctor’s legal bills.
Despite her professional regulator never receiving a patient complaint on her behalf, Dr. Kulvinder Kaur Gill says she became the target of a “very malicious campaign” prompting her to sue her critics in a lawsuit ultimately dismissed under Ontario’s anti-SLAPP law.
She asked Musk for his assistance in a public post on X, to which the billionaire replied “We will help.”
X posted Sunday morning, confirming it is “proud to help defend Dr. Kulvinder Kaur Gill against the government-supported efforts to cancel her speech.”
“The legal battles that ensued cost Dr. Gill her life savings, and she now owes $300,000 in a court judgment due Monday,” the platform’s post wrote. “When Elon Musk learned earlier this week about her crowdfunding campaign to pay the judgment… he pledged to help. X will now fund the rest of Dr. Gill’s campaign so that she can pay her $300,000 judgment and her legal bills.”
Shortly after X’s post, Gill said that the organization had contacted her directly and confirmed that Musk would not only finance the remainder of her judgement, but also assist in appealing the three cautions from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario for her 2020 posts opposing lockdowns.
Elon Musk pledged in August to fund anyone’s legal bill if they were “unfairly treated” by their employers’ for posting or liking something on X.
“No limit. Please let us know,” wrote Musk.
The ensuing replies were a variety of individuals and organization pleading their cases to Musk.
Prior to receiving Musk’s endorsement, Gill posted to X thanking everyone for the messages and prayers she had received. At the time of posting on Friday, Gill had raised half of the donation’s goal of $300,000 with four days remaining.
Before the pandemic, Gill said she was considered a leader in her profession who received positive media coverage.
“Suddenly, when I went against the narrative, I was seen as a black sheep and as someone who should be shunned,” said Gill in an interview. “Rather than engaging in any sort of debate or having any conversation about what I was trying to convey, I was being attacked with labels. The media didn’t seem interested in actually hearing why I was concerned.”
X reiterated some of the same concerns raised by Dr. Gill when she spoke about her situation in a podcast interview with Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the creator of the Great Barrington Declaration that criticized lockdowns early in the COVID pandemic.
As of Monday morning, Dr. Gill’s GiveSendGo campaign had raised $196,734 of the hopeful $300,000 from 2,450 separate donors.
“Free speech is the bedrock of democracy and a critical defense against totalitarianism in all forms. We must do whatever we can to protect it, and X will always fight against your right to speak freely,” wrote X.
