Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

Elon Musk's friends say Twitter targeting them in 'giant harassing fishing expedition'

Elon Musk's friends say Twitter targeting them in 'giant harassing fishing expedition'

The social media company suspects "that behind the scenes" Elon Musk has "been conspiring to blow the whole thing up," according to one expert's analysis.

Twitter is sending dozens of subpoenas to Elon Musk's associates and financial partners as part of its lawsuit against the billionaire for backing out of his deal to acquire the company.

A US judge has granted Twitter a fast-track five-day trial set to start on 17 October after the billionaire said he was rescinding his $44bn (£36.6bn) bid for the social media company on 8 July.

Twitter was pushing for the court case to be heard in September because it said the ongoing dispute was hurting its business.

Its shares were trading as low as $32.65 on 11 July, well below the $54.20 that Mr Musk had offered to pay for the company back in April.

Chancellor Kathaleen St Jude McCormick, the head judge of Delaware's Court of Chancery, said: "Delay threatens irreparable harm. The longer the delay, the greater the risk."

Mr Musk's team had sought to put off the trial until early next year because of how complex the case is.

His representatives accused Twitter of being in breach of the terms of the acquisition agreement, in particular that they failed to allow him to "make an independent assessment of the prevalence of fake or spam accounts".

Joe Lonsdale, a co-founder of Palantir Technologies, tweeted that he was among those who had received a subpoena, and described the requests as a "giant harassing fishing expedition".


"It's attempted sabotage"


Court filings reveal that the social media company has sent subpoenas to global banks and others involved in the financing of the deal.

Twitters suspects "that behind the scenes he's been conspiring to blow the whole thing up", Professor Minor Myers, at UConn School of Law, told Reuters.

"It's attempted sabotage. He's doing his best to run Twitter down," said William Savitt, a lawyer for the social media company.

The tycoon claims the firm failed to provide him with enough information concerning the number of fake - spam bot - Twitter accounts.

And he says it breached its obligations by sacking top managers and laying off a significant number of workers.

Musk's team expects more information about the bot numbers to come out in the trial court discovery process, when both sides must hand over evidence.


'Musk trying to wriggle out of deal'


Twitter argues Musk is trying to back out because he agreed to pay 38% above Twitter's stock price just before the stock market fell.

And shares of electric carmaker Tesla, where most of his personal wealth is, lost more than $100bn of their value.

"He's banking on wriggling out of the deal he signed," Mr Savitt said.

But Musk's lawyer Andrew Rossman claims it is "preposterous" to suggest the Tesla chief executive is attempting to damage Twitter.

He said the businessman "has no interest in damaging the company".

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
China Accuses US of Violating Trade Truce
Panama Port Owner Balances US-China Pressures
France Implements Nationwide Outdoor Smoking Ban to Protect Children
German Chancellor Merz Keeps Putin Guessing on Missile Strategy
Mandelson Criticizes UK's 'Fetish' for Abandoning EU Regulations
British Fishing Boat Owner Fined €30,000 by French Authorities
Dutch government falls as far-right leader Wilders quits coalition
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
×