Twitter calls Musk’s bot complaints an ‘irrelevant sideshow’
Twitter Inc. denied Elon Musk’s complaints that he didn’t have enough information about spam and bot accounts that were “irrelevant sideshows” and urged a judge to try to overturn his $44 billion purchase as soon as possible.
“The earliest possible trial date is needed,” Twitter lawyers said Monday in a nine-page filing in response to Musk’s request for a delay. “This public debate will hurt Twitter every day.”
Musk, the world’s richest man, pulled out of a deal to buy the platform on July 8, accusing the company of breaching the contract by providing information to determine how widespread the bot was on the social media platform. He said the judicial review would take months to complete and requested a trial in February.
“Musk used his rights to allow direct shelling of the company’s operations, and a review of his violations jeopardized Twitter’s relationship with employees and customers,” the filing said. “Millions on Twitter trade every day under the cloud of skepticism that Musk has created. No public company of this size and scope can withstand these uncertainties.”
Judge Kathleen St. J. McCormick, who is scheduled to attend the case, said Tuesday’s hearing in Delaware on Twitter about the fast-track case will be conducted by Zoom instead of in person because he has Covid. He added that his symptoms were not serious.
Twitter sued last week to force Musk to complete the deal, asking for until September. 19 start for trial without a jury. Lawyers for San Francisco-based Twitter say they need just four days to prove that Musk must comply with his agreement to pay $54.20 per share for the social media platform. Shares of Twitter rose 67 cents to $38.41 on Monday.
The case is Twitter vs. Musk, 22-0613, Delaware Chancery Court (Wilmington).