The Lawyer Billionaires Fear: Shannon Liss-Riordan Takes on Elon Musk, Again — and This Time It’s Political

When Shannon Liss-Riordan received a message from a former canvasser for Elon Musk’s America PAC, she could hardly ignore the irony. Known for her relentless legal crusades against billionaires—Musk included—Liss-Riordan was now being asked to defend someone who had worked on Musk’s behalf. The man had participated in a Musk-backed voter registration campaign in Pennsylvania but claimed he was never paid.

“I said: ‘All right, at your service,’” Liss-Riordan told NY Times. That case has now escalated into two class-action lawsuits—one in Pennsylvania and another covering canvassers across swing states—accusing Musk and the America PAC of breach of contract. The cases allege that Musk promised up to $100 per signature and failed to deliver, even after collecting thousands of petition signatures ahead of the 2024 election.

Musk’s Familiar Defense? "Fraud Audits"

The lawsuits echo patterns seen in Liss-Riordan’s other legal battles against Musk—particularly during and after his 2022 takeover of Twitter (now X). Following that acquisition, Musk allegedly implemented a “pause on payments” to vendors, ex-employees, and contractors, citing the need to audit for fraud.

According to Liss-Riordan, that same rationale is now being used by Musk’s political arm, America PAC, to delay or deny payments to petition gatherers. “It’s a go-to defense Elon likes to put up when he owes people money,” she said. “We’ve heard it before, and we’re hearing it again.”

Musk’s claim that he needed to verify whether real people had done the work was also a common refrain at X, where managers were reportedly asked to “prove” their employees weren’t bots before severance would be issued.

Fighting for Workers—Even Against Billionaires

Liss-Riordan has gained national attention over the past decade as a fierce advocate for gig economy workers. She’s won high-profile settlements against companies like Uber and Lyft, and now, she’s taken on tech titans like Michael Bloomberg, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk.

Just last month, she won a five-year legal battle against Bloomberg over broken compensation promises to 2020 campaign staffers. Her client—a field organizer—was awarded $90,000 in back pay and benefits, and more claims may follow.

Liss-Riordan insists that targeting billionaires was never the goal—it just became a recurring theme. “It just so happens that some billionaires keep crossing my path,” she said.

Inside the Legal War with Twitter/X

Since Musk’s Twitter takeover, Liss-Riordan has filed:

• Over 2,000 arbitration cases for laid-off workers denied severance

• A growing number of discrimination lawsuits citing disproportionate layoffs of women, Black employees, and older staff

• Class-action suits for unpaid vendors and contractors

In court, she claims her clients have won over 90% of arbitration cases against X. The remaining cases are still being filed and heard—one by one.

Unlike many employers, Musk has chosen not to settle or negotiate collectively. “For Twitter, it looks like we’re very likely just going to do every case,” she said. “He must not know me very well.”

A Broader Problem: Arbitration and Worker Silencing

Liss-Riordan is also a leading critic of mandatory arbitration clauses, which prevent class-action suits and force workers to settle disputes privately. These clauses, upheld in a 2011 Supreme Court decision, are now widely used to deter mass litigation.

“I had to pivot,” she said. “We started filing mass arbitrations—tens of thousands of them. It’s the only way to hold employers accountable when they block class actions.”

This strategy, while grueling, has proven effective. But as Musk continues to resist mass settlement, Liss-Riordan shows no signs of backing down.