Olympics 2024: J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk named in cyber harassment lawsuit by Algerian boxer Imane Khelif

Author J.K. Rowling and billionaire businessman Elon Musk have been named in Algerian boxer Imane Khelif’s lawsuit filed with French authorities over alleged acts of aggravated cyber harassment.

Nabil Boudi, the Olympic gold medallist’s Paris-based lawyer, told Variety the pair were both named in the criminal complaint posted to the anti-online hatred centre of the public prosecutor’s office last week.

The suit was filed against Musk’s social media network X, formerly known as Twitter, meaning it was filed against unknown persons, as per French law. This ensures “the prosecution has all the latitude to be able to investigate against all people,” including those who may have written hateful messages under pseudonyms, Boudi said.

Nonetheless, the complaint mentions many famous figures.

“J. K. Rowling and Elon Musk are named in the lawsuit, among others,” Boudi told Variety. He said Donald Trump would be part of the investigation. “Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution.”

Elon Musk, the owner of social media platform X, has been named in the lawsuit. Photo / Getty Images

Khelif, who recently won the Olympic gold medal in the women’s 66kg boxing competition, faced a barrage of accusations and abuse regarding her gender during the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Most attacks were directed at her on social media, including X.

Rowling, who has 14.2 million followers, posted a picture from Khelif’s fight with Italian boxer Angela Carini, accusing the former of “enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head”.

Musk shared a post from swimmer Riley Gaines that claimed “men don’t belong in women’s sports” and expressed his agreement.

Meanwhile, Trump posted: “I will keep men out of women’s sports!”

Boudi told Variety they are asking for an investigation into not only those individuals but anyone else deemed necessary. The lawsuit could potentially target personalities overseas, as the prosecutor’s office can seek mutual legal assistance with other countries.

The complaint is aimed at the authors of the social media posts and not the platforms themselves.