Because of Twitter’s allegations that Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk improperly terminated his bid to buy the social media platform, Twitter has pushed for an unreasonably fast trial, Elon Musk’s lawyers have claimed.
“Twitter’s sudden request for speed turnaround after two months of slowdowns and blackouts is its latest tactic to hide the truth about spam accounts long enough to shut down the defendants,” Musk’s legal attorney explained in a complaint filed in response to Twitter in July.
The two sides are pushing for the case to be considered on a completely different schedule. Noting that the deal has an October 24 delivery deadline, Twitter has requested a four-day trial that ends before the end of September. Musk’s lawyer says the case should go to trial no later than February 13, 2023.
“The underlying controversy over fake accounts and spam is central to the value of Twitter,” Musk’s lawyers wrote, echoing the billionaire’s claim that Twitter incorrectly represented the size of bots on its platform. “It’s also very real and it takes a lot of experts, it takes a lot of time, it takes a lot of time to figure it out.”
Fortunately, neither side will have to wait long to see when the proceedings begin. On Friday, Delaware District Court Judge Kathleen McCormick set a 90-minute hearing for July 19. The hearing will see McCormick hear arguments over the September trial.
