Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Friday asked a Delaware court to reject an offer by Twitter to try their $44 billion merger lawsuit in September, instead asking it to be delayed until next year.
In a court document cited by US media, Musk’s lawyers accuse the Twitter board of wanting to expedite the case.
Twitter sued Musk on Tuesday for violating the deal he signed to buy the tech company, calling his exit strategy “a model of hypocrisy.”
The lawsuit, filed in the US state of Delaware, asks the court to order the billionaire to close his deal to buy Twitter, arguing that no monetary penalty can repair the damage he caused.
The social media giant plans to hold the trial in September so as not to prolong the period of uncertainty currently threatening the company.
But Musk asked that the process not begin before February 13, citing the complexity involved.
Musk’s attorneys did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.
The billionaire had agreed to buy Twitter at the end of April.
But after weeks of threats, Musk tried to pull the plug on the deal last week, accusing Twitter of “misleading” statements about the number of fake accounts.
This set the stage for a potentially lengthy court battle with Twitter, which has defended its fake account supervision and promised to force Musk to complete the deal, which included a $1 billion breakup fee.
The social network says the number of fake accounts is less than five percent, a number questioned by Musk, who says he believes the percentage is much higher.
His lawyers say that proving this requires analyzing mountains of data.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Tuesday in a Delaware business court.
#Elon #Musk #court #delay #start #Twitter #court #battle
