Twitter has come out on top in the opening battle between Elon Musk and the social media giant. A Delaware court judge rejected Musk’s petition to delay the trial until next year, ruling that the trial should take place in October.
Musk’s legal team had argued against expediting the process due to the complexity of the case, but Delaware Court of Chancery’s chancellor Kathleen St. Jude McCormick said that they underestimated the court's ability to process complex cases.
According to McCormick, who spoke via a Zoom call as she had tested positive for Covid-19, delays would be detrimental to Twitter.
Read More: Donald Trump and Elon Musk trade blows on social media as former US President mocks Tesla owner
This ruling vindicated Twitter lawyer William Savitt’s argument that the longer the trial goes on, the more the company’s reputation would be damaged.
The legal dispute between Twitter and the world’s richest person stems from a collapsed deal that would have seen Musk acquire the social media company for $44 billion.
Musk pulled out of the deal earlier this month, saying Twitter had violated the terms of the agreement by not disclosing data related to the number of fake accounts on the platform.
Savitt argued that Musk was attempting to sabotage the deal and said it intends to compel the Tesla CEO to go through with the purchase.
The Delaware court’s ruling represents a victory for Twitter in the first round of what is sure to be a hard-fought legal battle between the two sides, one which has already seen Musk use the platform to ridicule the company’s attempt to force through the deal.
This is not the only legal action being taken against Musk. A group of current and former Tesla workers have filed a lawsuit against the car company in California, alleging racial abuse and harassment at its factories.
In New York, a cryptocurrency investor is suing Musk for an alleged pyramid scheme through which he propped up the value of Dogecoin.
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