Twitter Doesn't Mind Scheduled Trial Of Lawsuit Against Elon Musk Held October 17
JAKARTA - Twitter Inc has no objection to a proposal by Elon Musk to start a trial of their lawsuit on October 17. The date comes over Musk's bid to walk out of a $44 billion acquisition deal. But the social media company wants a commitment to complete the trial in five days.
Musk said he needed time to complete a thorough investigation into what he said were Twitter's false statements about fake accounts, which he said violated the terms of their deal.
Musk had originally asked for the trial to be held in February, but on Tuesday, July 26 he proposed a trial on October 17 after a judge ruled the trial would begin in three months.
Twitter called the fake accounts a nuisance and pushed for an attempt to restrain Musk from getting a deal started as soon as possible, arguing that delays hurt his business. It said in his court suit that Musk offered no guarantees that the trial would be completed within five days, as ordered by judge Kathaleen McCormick of the Delaware Cancer Court.
"Twitter sought that commitment because it believes that Musk's objective remains to delay the trial, render the Court's expeditionary order unenforceable, and thereby avoid ruling his contractual obligations," the Twitter filing said.
Lawyers for Musk, the world's richest man and chief executive of electric car maker Tesla Inc, did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on Twitter's stance.
Twitter also dismissed Musk's claims that the company was dragging its feet in response to his demands for documents. Twitter said Musk was the one holding back on proceedings by refusing to respond to the company's complaints, which it said would clarify the issue and any counterclaims he might assert.
Twitter shares closed up 1.3% at 39.85 dollars on Wednesday. Musk agreed to acquire the company for $54.20 per share. If Twitter wins, the stock is predicted to increase. However, if he wins, Twitter's stock could plummet even more.